Limitations of Cow Politics- Part 1

Politics in any democratic set up is dictated by an innate need to create wedge issues.  Conservatives are more prone to relying on wedge issues as we have witnessed with the 'veil' issue in the recently concluded Canadian national elections.

Having gained a handsome political return via the Ram Janma Bhoom Movement (RJBM) BJP and its many clones (Shiv Sena, VHP, Hindu Maha sabha, etc.) have come to view wedge issues as their political bread and butter.  In other words this is their primary product.

Create a wedge issue, fire up the base and use the resulting momentum to gain a political windfall at the hustings.

Cow politics falls within this paradigm.  But is a deeply flawed strategy.  One which will only bring a very limited incremental gain to BJP's political kitty.

This is not to suggest that banning cow slaughter is a bad administrative initiative or a sub par political promise (more on this later).  What I'm suggesting is that the politics over Cow slaughter is a flawed strategy and must be dialed down immediately before it causes further damage to larger Hindutva goals.

Before readers accuse me of being a HINO (Hindu in Name Only), let me assure you that despite having lived in the west for a while I have never even tasted beef.  That is a personal preference.  A democratic society should not impose its food preferences on its citizens.

In the 21st century adults living in a free society should have the freedom to eat, drink, smoke anything their heart desires, as long as it does not impinge on the fundamental rights of other citizens.

Now back to the issue at hand.  Why is Cow politics so flawed?

Food preference as a political issue is a good issue to emphasize in a society where food is readily available to all citizens.  India now has the dubious distinction of having the largest number of people surviving on less than a dollar a day.

This group of citizens also tend to be dedicated voters.  Given that their destinies are dictated by prevailing power structures, voting fpr a benevolent political dispensation is their primary source of sustenance.  

This poor, marginalized voter is likely to ask a very simple every time he or she faces the wrath of his Hindu brothers or the state apparatus - "How is it that our well-to-do Hindu brothers go to war over a dead cow but seldom lift a finger over a dead dalit or 1000s of malnourished children".

One doesnt have to be an educated analyst to come up with this query.  Cow politics will unite the dedicated Hindutva vote bank but it is likely to subtly alienate those Hindus who have been kept at the fringes of Hindu society.

Even though slaughter houses may employ largely non-Hindu employees, many Hindu castes depend on cow parts as their primary raw materials.

Moochis (Cobblers) are a good example of this dynamic.  This caste not only manufactures and repairs leather footwear but is also engaged in tanneries.

Pursued beyond a point (Administratively banning beef) cow politics hurts Hindu unity and renders it susceptible to the charge of "In Hinduism an animal's life is more valuable than that of a lower caste".

So where do we draw the line and what are possible alternative Hindutva wedge issues which will bring BJP political dividends without breaking the bank?

Coming up in Part 2.