K.P. Mohammed kutty, chairman of the Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants, speaks at a seminar on "Politics behind beef ban," organized by Islamic Dawa Council in Jeddah recently. — Courtesy photo Hassan Cheruppa Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Speakers at a recent seminar on "Politics behind beef ban" said that the move to ban beef products in India is to protect the commercial interests of a few beef exporters and serve the communal agenda of Hindu nationalist forces. They urged India's secular forces to resist the Fascist Hindutva agenda in a democratic way. Prominent leaders of the Keralite community addressed the seminar, organized by the Jeddah-based Islamic Dawa Council (IDC). The seminar was held at a time when there has been much hue and cry across the country following the recent imposition of ban on the possession, sale and consumption of beef in the Indian states of Maharashtra and Haryana. While there was already a ban on the slaughter of cows, the Maharashtra government has gone a step further by putting a blanket ban on the slaughter of bulls, bullocks and calves also. Several Bollywood celebrities joined hands with a large number of people with their tweets ridiculing the move went viral. They said that in a country like India, where more than 30 percent of people eat beef, the ban should not be enforced but rather it should be optional as it is purely a personal choice. In some places including major cities of Kerala, beef eating fests were held to protest the ban. Beef was cooked in the open and Hindus, Muslims and Christians sat together for a feast. Coming next to Brazil, India is the second-largest exporter of beef in the world and also the fifth-largest producer. The total consumption of beef in India per year is estimated at 2.6 million tons as compared to 600,000 tons of mutton. Speakers at the seminar voiced concern over the growing trend in some parts of the country to harass and corner the minority community in the name of beef eating. "However, the fact that beef export is mainly in the control of a couple of businessmen from the majority community. Out of the six largest meat exporters of India, four are from the majority community," they said while claiming that most of the people in the majority community are not in favor of been ban. They alleged that there has been a Fascist agenda plus commercial interests of some businessmen behind the beef ban. The speakers also questioned the logic of banning beef on religious grounds. They noted that India's constitution prohibited cow slaughter not on any religious grounds. As per Article 48 of the Constitution, slaughter of cow is prohibited not on religious grounds, but on agriculture and animal farming perspective. However, some of the states such as Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan banned the consumption of beef on religious grounds. They said the move to extend beef ban across the country would lead to far reaching consequences in the socio, cultural and economic life of India's 1.2 billion pluralist society. "It will also lead to communal tension and serious environmental problems too," they said. K.H.M. Muneer was the moderator in the seminar, in which Sajir Kuttur presented a paper on the theme of the seminar. The speakers included K.P. Mohammedkutty, president of the Saudi National Committee of Kerala Muslim Cultural Center; V.M. Ibrahim, executive editor of Gulf Madhyamam daily; Shibu Thiruvanandapuram, Navodaya Cultural Forum; Gopi Nedungadi, A.P. Kunhali Haji of Overseas Indian Cultural Congress; A.M. Abdullakutty, Indian Muslim Cultural Center; and Hussain Baqavi, IDC. Earlier, the function started with recitation of a few verses from the Holy Qur'an by Fatah Chavakkad. Naser Chavakkad welcomed the gathering while Shakir Kizhisheri proposed the vote of thanks.
