Beef-ban a ploy in the hands of commul fascists'

From a Correspondent

JORHAT, May 10: A special lecture programme was held at Jatiya Bhavan in Jorhat on Saturday on one of the most controversial and burning issues of the country - beef ban and cow slaughter. The special lecture marked the beginning of a series of monthly lectures at Jatiya Bhavan on tiolly important issues. The meeting was presided over by a presidium, comprising Dr Devabrata Sharma, Jagat Borthakur, Bhava Chetia and Gopal Goswami. Jugu Shardeya, a jourlist of tiol-level was the guest of honour.

Dr Jayanta Madhab Dutta, a researcher doing research on the subject for the last one decade, said in this maiden lecture, “The democratic and secular people of India have been worried because of the rise of Hindutva fascist forces. These far-rights, ultra -Hindutva forces have been using the innocent animal cow as the proverbial scapegoat. They have identified Islam and Muslims with beef -eating. But there are thousands of documentary evidences in the Hindu scriptures to show that Hindu sages, mostly Brahmins, were habitual beef-eaters. Hence beef-eating is not a ‘contribution’ of Muslims to India. Similarly, it cannot be inferred that not eating beef would automatically make one Hindu.”

Dr Jayanta Madhab Dutta further added, “The Sangh Parivar has indulged in a conspiracy to commully polarize the people so as to create a country-wide riot. Beef-ban is only a ploy in the hands of these commul fascists. But the poor peasants of this country, most of whom are Hindus would suffer the most as they would have to starve to death if they cannot sell their old cows so as to buy new ones.”

Incidentally, Dr Dutta had translated into Assamese Dr DN Jha’s epoch-making The Myth of the Holy Cow exactly one decade ago. Dr Anil Bora, Dr Raktim Saikia, Dr Sanjan Ali Hazarika and several others also participated in the discussion that followed.

Dr Devabrata Sharma, Chief Editor, Assamese tiol Dictiory said in his presidential comment, “Choice of food is essentially a matter of individual democratic right. The state run by fascist commul forces has no right to impose food habits and culture of one community upon another in the me of majoritarianism.” “This is utterly undemocratic and against the spirit of diversity,” Dr Devabrata Sharma asserted.