The stench of death in broken promises…

When it seemed imminent that the BJP would come to power, I was hoping to see some good come out of it. While the hope of stability for 5 years and therefore a possibility of decision making was one, there was a larger greed that piqued my interest. Would a religion maniac, hindutva driving party actually bring forth laws or directions on matters that could help animals? Will they deliver unto the cos and bulls their revered status glorified by scriptures, epics and practices? Will the animals, purely out of a biased attitude, see freedom from pain and torture, of at least the ones cause by farming for meat and leather? I personally nurtured a hope.

Conversations with a leather manufacturer prior to the elections delivered some key messages. The trade feared just that. They expected Modi to come down on slaughter in a big way. There was belief that the government would bring in strict rules, tighten procedures and punishment. The overwhelming majority made them believe that the government wouldn’t care for backlashes or protests, and simply driven by the RSS agenda, go all out to prioritise this. My hopes soared.

But as the days dawned, things were getting obvious. Agendas were different. It didn’t list out unemployment, agricultural output, water management, women security, terrorism, Pakistan, black money or inflation control. The spotlights were on the international stage. Global events. FDI. Make in india, export worldwide.

That’s the catch word. Export worldwide. Bring in moolah in dollars and euro. Or any other currency, what does it matter? Buy from us. Buy more. Buy lots more. Just keep the inflow going. And in that madness, that drive, lies the stench of death. Is there a communal story to this? Given that a big chunk of the leather exports is controlled by a community not so inclined to the BJP, were deals struck to secure votes? Was there an electoral promise made outside the manifesto to secure their votes, in exchange for a blind eye to another promise?

The images attached here speak column of the expectations, the developments, the realities and the impact.

And the betrayal.

The fear of curbs and controls, bans and policies was looming big… less than 6 months ago!

True its affiliations and guiding principles, there was a lot of noise about this. Obviously, with a view to appeasing both, the Hindu voters, and celestial ‘blessers’!

And in 6 months… the obvious started happening.

And the numbers are astonishing… incredible growth in a sector least expected or desired. The prospects are frightening now!