Holy Cow
The Indian government, with its unapologetic right-wing extremist hindutva stand, banned beef consumption over the course of its term (starting 2015) given the fact that cows are considered sacred mother figures with hinduism. The ban and its opposition both make use of the environmental rhetoric as well as issues of social justice (as the majority labour in these industries consists of Muslims and lower caste hindus). Also, the notion of regarding beef as ‘dirty’ closely resembles the model of the caste system and forms a new voice for the rise of traditionalist-environmentalism.
Beef row: Where it is illegal and what the law says
Contributed by MayankaMukherji on 27/02/2017
