For BJP, cow is ‘mummy’ in UP, but ‘yummy’ in Northeast, says Owaisi

india

Updated: Apr 30, 2017 08:24 IST

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has mocked the BJP for its apparently contradictory stance on cow slaughter in the Northeast.

“BJP’s hypocrisy is that in Uttar Pradesh cow is mummy but in the Northeast it’s yummy,” Owaisi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The comment comes in the backdrop of the BJP asserting that no cow slaughter ban would be enforced in the three northeastern states that go to the polls this year and where bovine meat is a staple.

Beef is widely consumed in Christian-majority Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland and a drive against illegal abattoirs in Uttar Pradesh has had adverse repercussions for the saffron party in these states. The comments invited criticism as many BJP leaders have publicly said the cow is like a mother for Hindus.

“Ban on cow slaughter like the one in UP won’t take effect in Nagaland if our party comes to power next year. The reality here is very different and our central leaders are aware of that,” Nagaland BJP chief Visasolie Lhoungu told Hindustan Times.

A nationwide ban on the culling of cows – considered holy by many Hindus – is top of the BJP’s agenda and many of the states ruled by the saffron party have enforced a crackdown on slaughter and selling of cow meat. Gujarat punishes cow slaughter with life in jail while Rajasthan is the only state with a ministry of cow welfare. Critics say that the ban on cow meat is a proxy war against many Muslims and Dalits, who form the overwhelming majority of the butcher community and consume beef.