It's not just about beef

There has been much uproar in my circle of friends over the beef ban in Maharashtra. But this is about much more than just taking away a preferred meat. The different levels of government are interfering in citizens’ lives. It is happening all over the world, but in India, the tentacles of the government appear to be reaching farther.

Although this law snuck up on people, we should not forget that it was actually introduced by the BJP the last time they were in power at the centre, 20 years ago. Yes, the BJP-led NDA was in power in the past; I know the popular narrative is that the Congress has ruled this country since independence, but that is a manipulation which many Indians fell for in the election last year. Humans often need to relearn the same lesson again and again before it sticks. Besides, “The Congress has ruled India for the last 60 years” rolls off the tongue much better than “The Congress has ruled India for the majority of the last 60 years.”

To give the devil his due, the Congress initiated fascism and laid the groundwork for the BJP. This should have been clear in late 2012 after the police were let loose on the protesters in Delhi and the Metro was shut down to prevent larger crowds from gathering to demand that greater action be taken against Jyoti Singh’s rapists/murderers and others like them.

The current government has been in power for less than a year, and already the Delhi High Court’s declaration of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code as unconstitutional has been reversed, once again deeming homosexuality a crime; the Censor Board, which was already uptight, has been replaced with seemingly more socially conservative members; there has been monitoring of Facebook and WhatsApp, and control of what appears on YouTube; and now you can be imprisoned for selling or possessing beef. And this is just a sample. For those who voted for the right-wingers on the basis of their promise of development, I suggest you reflect on what the government’s priorities seem to be.

On top of this are the comments and initiatives on the part of the ideologues, who really control the present government, about Hindus needing to have at least four children, the so-called Love Jihad, and Ghar Wapsi.

Let’s break it down. The powers that be wish to control what you say, what you watch, who you love, what you do in private with the person you love, which religion you follow, whether and how much you reproduce, and what you eat.

A political party that is supposedly pro-business is putting hard-working people out of business. Where is the logic in that? Is this law going to extend to India’s huge leather industry? If not, then this isn’t about cow slaughter; it’s about control.

Where does government control end? For those who are sitting quietly because you haven’t been affected yet, your turn will come, and there will be no one to stand up for you.