New Delhi: The cow protection brigade of the BJP has got a new ministry to man — the Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, which has been segregated from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday allocated this new ministry to Giriraj Singh, who had last year endorsed RSS leader Indresh Kumar’s remarks that a ban on cow meat consumption would bring down the crimes of the ‘Satan’, referring to incidents of mob lynching.
In 2015, he had sought to differentiate between cow and goat meat eaters, drawing an analogy with a man’s relationship with his wife and sister.
“Would those who eat goat meat consume dog meat if they are offered? Indians do consider their relationship with mother and sister as sacred… In the same way we should approach gau mata with the same reverence,” he had told The Indian Express.
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Two deputies
To assist Giriraj Singh in manning the new ministry, the Modi has assigned two deputies — Muzaffarnagar riots accused Sanjeev Kumar Balyan and VHP and Bajrang Dal leader from Odisha, Pratap Chandra Sarangi.
Balyan has been outspoken in his views against cow slaughter. He had said that the murder of Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, on the suspicion of beef consumption should not be seen as a communal issue.
“I don’t want to link this issue with communalism. This is a social issue and is attached to the emotions of the Hindu community. It is better to see the issue from this angle,” Balyan had said.
Sarangi was the Odisha state coordinator of the Bajrang Dal when the RSS-affiliated outfit’s role had come under the scanner after Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burnt to death in 1999. Bajrang Dal activist Dara Singh was one of those convicted for the murder. Sarangi had, however, denied the role of the Bajrang Dal in the killings in his deposition to the D.P. Wadhwa commission, which gave a clean chit to the outfit but noted Singh’s involvement in the cow protection movement.
Singh, Balyan and Sarangi, who are expected to push their cow protection agenda in the new ministry may get a helping hand from some other ministerial colleagues, too. One of them is Prahalad Singh Patel, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture and Tourism, who has been a known votary of a ban on cow slaughter.
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I do not belong to any party. I am a retired dairy husbandy specialist. I am giving my views based on a life time (I am 75) of experience of our cattle issues in this country. The moment you saw the names of the 3 ministers of the new Ministry of AH & Dairying, you think if cow protection and lynching and what not.
Don’t you think ir can’t you think from scientific point of view? Do you know that, for better attention to our livestock wealth, we have been demanding fir a long time, that AHD should be separated from Ag for the much needed focus. Fir the same reason, we are also requesting separation of Veterinary & Animal Sciences from ICAR. Milk has the highest commodity value since a decade, overtaking wheat a long ago. Ownership of animals is far far less skewed than the landholding pattern. Instead of berating gourakshaw etc you should ask experts to write how best the new dispensation can be used to focus on more income from animals. Media people make fun of cow dung and urine, which can be and are being converted into value added products. Do you know that US Fed Drug Control. Agency gave 13 patents for use of cow urine as medicaments for different ailments. Kindly do not take political lines, but know that cows that do not give milk can also earn their own living through VAPs of their dung and urine.
Prof Dr NSR Sastry
Well said.
The Print has to toe the Leftist liberal line.
They have to being in insinuations about the two deputy ministers.
And by the way, Print, Dara Singh is NOT of the Bajrang Dal.
We expect beef eaters will be caned this time.
One cannot picture Minister – now Cabinet rank – Giriraj Singh on a shop floor, checking how well the latest models of robots are working. More at home checking the milk yield – and other assorted outputs – of cows on the farm.