Unintended consequence of Hindu nationalism in India: wandering cows

That’s why there are more and more people in a cowshed near Nagar’s field. “We started with around 400 cows,” says manager Mukesh. “Now we have 2,500. Most of them stop giving milk and are therefore left behind.”

Mukesh is happy with the approach taken by the butchers and slaughterhouses, but says it is not enough. “Now that we don’t have butchers, a lot of cows end up on the streets. They eat plastic and garbage, which is bad for their stomachs. And they have traffic accidents.”

According to him, the government should do more to take care of all the stray cows. “This shelter has been there since 2008. So we served the cow before Yogi came to power. It would be nice if we could get some money from the government to feed and care for the cows. But we don’t get anything at all .”

Modic’s promise

That stray cattle in Uttar Pradesh is an important topic is evident from the fact that Modi pays attention to it himself. At a campaign rally in the state, Modi promised that if the BJP won, he would introduce a new policy to address the issue. Without giving details, he said farmers can also start making money from cow dung and no longer have to leave cows that no longer give milk in the wild.

The last electoral stage is March 7 and the votes will be counted on March 10. For Farmer Nagar, wandering cows are his biggest concern. “Protection of cows is a good thing. Previously, cows were slaughtered by Muslims. Under BJP, there is no more crime. But bulls should be sheltered. If wandering cows eat all the crop, what should farmers do?