Stray cattle as poll issue

When the stray cattle menace becomes a potent election issue in Uttar Pradesh, prompting a swift shift in a campaign otherwise tilted heavily towards religious polarisation, the scale of the problem and the anger of the voters are palpable. Sensing the tension on the ground, the BJP’s first and foremost responder in such crisis situations, Prime Minister Modi, has promised a scheme of generating income from the dung of animals which have stopped giving milk, which, he claims, will result in stray cattle not being let loose. The Congress says the announcement is a pick-up from Chhattisgarh where its government pays Rs 2 per kg for cow dung for utilisation as vermicompost, fertiliser and production of gobar gas. For rural and urban dwellers alike, the acknowledgement of their woes and attention being paid raise hopes of some respite.

The stray cattle population in the state shot up to 12 lakh in 2019, an increase of 17 per cent compared to 2017. Since protecting cows is a pet project of the Yogi government, its strict enforcement of the ban on cow slaughter and the fear of vigilante groups have had a drastic impact on the cattle trade and economy, forcing abandonment of animals. As farmers lose out on account of crop damage and by erecting barbed wire fences around fields to prevent the entry of animals, the opportunity provided by the elections has been deftly used to highlight the need for a rational and pragmatic approach.

In towns and cities, not just in UP but across the region, stray cattle on the roads, causing deaths and injuries, is an unresolved civic issue, often a no-go zone for administrators considering the sensitivities involved. Any solution is confined to promises of raising more cowsheds, something even the Yogi government has been unable to manage despite the massive spending on cattle upkeep: Rs 424 crore in 2021-22. The complexities require better ideas.