The BJP’s coming to power in West Bengal, after what many allege were the machinations of the Election Commission and the judiciary’s failure to intervene, has created a major scare among the Muslim minority of the state. The government has started erecting detention centres in every district to house alleged infiltrators from Bangladesh and has also called for a grand memorial for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, among other initiatives.
Polarization and Economic Shifts After the Mandate
One issue that has caused deep discomfort among many people in the state is the sustained campaign of lynching Muslims in the name of cow protection and beef consumption. As Eid approached, Hindus brought cows and bulls to the market for sale. To their horror, however, there were hardly any buyers for the cattle. Muslims had collectively decided not to sacrifice cows during Eid. From the chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Maulana Arshad Madani, to politicians like Asaduddin Owaisi, several Muslim leaders have demanded that the cow be declared the national animal, replacing the tiger.
In the markets, Muslims have reportedly been telling Hindus who brought cows for sale, “It is your mother; keep it at home.” Many poor peasants rear these animals for sale during Eid so that they can earn a good price and sustain their livelihood. They are now feeling disappointed and dejected as their calculations and aspirations collapse. Muslim organisations have witnessed the massive lynching of Muslims, especially during the last 12 years, in the name of cow protection. From Mohammad Akhlaq to Mohammad Junaid, there have been more than 100 lynchings in recent years. IndiaSpend data shows that from 2014 to 2018, 46 Muslims and Dalits were killed in cow-related violence.
One also recalls the incident in Una, Gujarat, where four Dalits carrying dead cows for skinning were mercilessly flogged. Following this, young Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani campaigned against the cow-related trade and demanded land rights for Dalits. The atmosphere created by cow vigilantes, allegedly protected by those in power and ideologically supported by the RSS combine, has been frightening. Some acharyas even went to the extent of saying that the value of one cow’s life is greater than the lives of many human beings.
Cow-related products were aggressively promoted by Baba Ramdev, who built a profitable business around products including cow urine. Sambit Patra, a prominent BJP spokesperson, once stated that cow dung is more valuable than diamonds. Incidentally, he is a trained postgraduate in modern medicine. Another professor in Gujarat came up with the remarkable claim that cow urine contains gold. What a relief that would be at a time when gold prices are touching the roof!
Identity Politics and the Reality of Meat Production
Returning to the Muslim community’s collective decision, the biggest losers in this game of identity politics are poor Hindu farmers. It remains to be seen whether the Hindutva government will eventually take the “holy” decision of declaring the cow the national animal. In that case, another set of losers would emerge: the many non-Muslim businessmen who run India’s beef export enterprises.
The major exporters of beef largely belong to elite Hindu and Jain communities. Sabharwal Brothers’ Al-Kabeer Exports Pvt. Ltd. is among the largest meat and carabeef processors in India, operating a massive slaughterhouse in Telangana. The company is widely reported to be owned by the Sabharwal family. Arabian Exports Pvt. Ltd., a major Mumbai-based meat exporter, has historically been owned and managed by the Sunil Kapoor family. MKR Frozen Food Exports Pvt. Ltd., headquartered in New Delhi with slaughterhouses in Punjab, is managed by Madan Abbott. PML Industries Pvt. Ltd., headquartered in Chandigarh, is associated with the AS Bindra family, among others.
Apart from this, eating non-vegetarian food is increasingly looked down upon in sections of public discourse. Yet we know the widespread prevalence of beef consumption in Goa, the Northeast, and Kerala. Roughly 77% of India’s population consumes non-vegetarian food. Studies suggest that around 83.4% of men and 70.6% of women consume meat, fish, or chicken regularly.
Fish remains central to diets in coastal regions, while chicken and mutton are widely consumed across the country. Many people assume that Brahmins do not eat non-vegetarian food. However, Kashmiri Pandits are known for their rich mutton dishes, including the famous Rogan Josh. Brahmins in Bihar, too, consume mutton and other non-vegetarian dishes.
Culinary Stereotypes vs. Historical Discursive Truths
Facts, therefore, are far more diverse than the stereotypes deliberately spread in public discourse. Such narratives are often used to project Muslims as primarily meat eaters and therefore somehow violent. During the West Bengal elections, Mamata Banerjee remarked that under BJP rule, “Machh-Bhaat” — Bengal’s beloved fish-and-rice meal — would become difficult to access.
In response, Union Minister Anurag Thakur circulated a video of himself eating Machh-Bhaat and claimed that BJP-ruled states impose no restrictions on non-vegetarian food. Food identity as an electoral issue was further highlighted when the Prime Minister, in a widely publicised video, ate jhal muri, a local rice-based snack, to show solidarity with the people of Bengal.
What have our political campaigns come to in their attempts to spread hatred against vulnerable minorities? The West Bengal experience demonstrates the depths to which sectarian politics can descend in order to win elections. Not only institutions like the Election Commission, but even popular common sense, appear to have been deeply corrupted.
As minorities writhe in pain and deprivation, leaders of communal politics publicly enjoy jhal muri and Machh-Bhaat while simultaneously propagating absurd correlations between violence and food habits. One is reminded that Adolf Hitler, who presided over one of history’s greatest genocides, had become vegetarian in the later part of his life.
In the din of massive and manipulated victories, these Hindutva politicians also forget that Swami Vivekananda, during a lecture in the United States at the Shakespeare Club in Pasadena, California, on February 2, 1900, stated while speaking on “Buddhistic India”:
“You will be astonished if I tell you that, according to old ceremonials, he is not a good Hindu who does not eat beef. On certain occasions, he must sacrifice a bull and eat it.”
[Vivekananda, The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol. 3 (Calcutta: Advaita Ashram, 1997), p. 536.]
To cap it all, the progenitor of Hindu nationalism, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, declared that the cow is not a holy animal, but merely a useful one.
For a detailed breakdown of the geopolitical shifts and campaign narratives surrounding this political development, you can watch this analysis of the West Bengal election results, which highlights the strategic maneuvers and public reactions that shaped the outcome.
