How will cattle pass through Assam?: Neighbours ask

GUWAHATI: Assam’s new cow bill is raising the hackles of Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh as beef is widely consumed in those states.
Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma has already raised concern on it as it could cast a cloud on the cattle imports of Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland as beef is the most popular protein in these three Christian-dominated states. Thma U Rangli Juki (TUR) member Angela Rangad said the proposed law is “infringement” on the rights of many and the Assam government “should not be allowed to clandestinely interfere” with food cultures and preferences of its neighbouring states.
“Assam has become a Hindutva project. Its people should stand up and speak out against divisive anti-people policies such as the cow slaughter law. The law prohibits transit of cattle for consumption through Assam, and this is an infringement on the rights of many. The law is clearly designed to perpetuate Islamophobia and hatred for others cultural and religious practices,” Meghalaya-based activist Rangad said.
The chief minsters of Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh are still quiet about this issue and their silence is deafening.
The BJP-led Assam government on Monday tabled a bill in the Assembly that imposes restrictions on the sale of beef and the transport of cattle, sharply increaing the punishment for cattle slaughter without a permit and appears to suggest that no permit will be given to slaughter cows.
The Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021, prohibits inter-state transport of cattle meant for slaughter to and from, as well as through Assam without valid documents.
“Assam is the gateway to the Northeast, and a good percentage of beef for all the surrounding states like Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram comes through Assam. A bill passed in Assam should in no way affect the other states where beef is a part of their diet, a part of their culture and tradition. This bill not only affects the culture and traditions of the beef-consuming communities of Assam but the entire Northeast,” Peter John, a Naga, said.
Senior Congress leader and general secretary of the North East Congress Coordination Committee, Padi Richo, has strongly objected to the bill, saying that once the law is enacted, it would go against many NE states where a large number of people earn their livelihood by selling cattle.
The traders bring cattle from other parts of the country though Assam and such a ban would snatch away their livelihood, Richo said.
“If it is cattle today, tomorrow who knows, the Assam government could restrict movement of agricultural products, including vegetables and rice, and in such case many states would suffer. Arunachal Pradesh is still a consumer state which depends mostly on Assam for all supplies,” he said.
Richo said “such a bill goes against the indigenous people of the NE region, particularly Arunachal Pradesh.”