The Socialist Kisan Sabha is set to lead stray cows to the residence of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on January 26, as they remain uncared for despite the government’s announcements of cowsheds for them.
Munnalal Shukla, spokesperson of the Socialist Party (India), said, “On many occasions, Yogiji has professed his love for cows. He is often pictured feeding them jaggery. He will be perfectly capable of taking care of the cows that we will leave at his home.”
In the first cabinet meeting after the last Lok Sabha elections, the CM had announced the plan for cow shelters in every village to tackle the menace of stray cattle which would often roam into people’s fields and eat the standing crop. Per ‘Uttar Pradesh Cow Conservation and Fund Rules, 2019’, a state fund was to be set up. The corpus was to be raised through donations by the Union and state governments, government institutions, individuals or industrial houses, NGOs and charitable institutions. In addition, a 2 per cent ‘mandi’ cess. 0.5 per cent of the annual excuse revenue and 0.5 per cent of the annual toll tax was also to be used for the cause.
However, as Shukla pointed out, the money for the shelters has not reached the ground and animals continue to roam about, often chased about by farmers and also irate villagers as they try to seek shelter within school buildings and panchayat bhawans. Farmers have also started to fence their fields with wire which hungry cows try to jump over and, in the process, injure themselves. This problem has been compounded by the fact that such tracts of land that had been earmarked for growing cattle fodder, have been given away to tillers, thereby leaving no food for the cows. “Cows need food, not jaggery,” said Shukla.
“Ask the sub divisional officer and he says we must find out from the Block Development Officer. Ask him and he says only the Panchayat secretary can answer. So, this issue is no one’s responsibility it seems,” said Shukla, who is a resident of the village (and block) Barawan.
“There are numerous stray cattle in my village but the closest shelter is in Sandila- a distance of 23 kilometres.”
As per the party, the cowsheds which have been started by the government are non-functional. In the absence of food, cows are forced to roam around. There are no funds to transport cows from villages to cowsheds. It has also accused members of the ruling BJP of trying to scuttle the efforts of private individuals who volunteer to undertake this task.
“Cow protector in a BJP government is one who doesn’t look after the cows but indulges in hooliganism in the name of cow vigilantism,” said a note issued by the party.
On December 27, 2021, when villagers from Lalamau Mawai of Hardoi district, who had walked all the way to a cowshed 15km away from their village, escorting 28 cows on the direction of veterinary officer and after informing the police, were forced to return with the cows after the villagers of Pawayan Bhagwantapur refused to keep the animals in a cowshed in their village. A BJP office-bearer Gyanendra Singh from Lohangapur village assaulted the villagers, too. He and his goons continued beating the villagers of Lalamau Mawai even after the police informed him that they were aware of the movement of cattle. The Hardoi police had refused to register a case against Gyanendra Singh, primarily because of his association with the ruling party. Among the people who got beaten were five Dalits.
Shukla said he will file an RTI application to find out the truth about cow shelters in the state. “The government has not kept its word, there is little doubt about that,” he said.
