Beef With The Tiger

For the tiger, the king of the Indian jungles, life in a zoo enclosure is a living hell, a magnificent animal condemned to a life in captivity. But when politics and religion cross path with the zoo tiger, things can get quite peculiar. And funny too. Earlier this week, a group of BJP workers owing allegiance to a leader known for his radical views stopped a vehicle transporting beef for tigers and lions at the Guwahati zoo. The political activists were demanding that the tigers be given any other meat but the cow, considered 바카라�holy바카라� by millions of Hindus.

The no-cow-meat-for-tiger activists were quickly dispersed by police and the big cats had their full course for lunch바카라�followed probably by their customary afternoon siesta바카라�but the incident did open up a huge debate in Assam where controversies over religious issues have divided the people ahead of assembly polls next year. Satya Ranjan Das, the BJP leader, said instead of beef, the zoo authorities should use sambar (deer) to feed the tigers and lions.

바카라�Let the zoo authorities breed and use sambars as food for zoo animals. It should be a natural process,바카라� said Bora, who was a former vice president of the state바카라�s BJP Kisan Morcha. 바카라�We (Hindu society) always want protection of the holy cow, but the animal is killed to feed the zoo carnivores. Why is only beef being fed to zoo animals when we can give them the meat of sambar or pig?바카라� Bora asked. The zoo바카라�the biggest in the Northeast바카라�has eight tigers and three lions. They are fed beef once a week. There are also 26 leopards and smaller cats, including the elusive leopard cat and jungle cat. Bora, however, hasn바카라�t found much support, even from the BJP-led state government. 바카라�We have lions and tigers in our zoo and as per guidelines of the Central Zoo Authority we provide them food. We can바카라�t change their diet as per our wish. We can바카라�t feed them Britannia biscuits if we wish to바카라�For their health, beef and buffalo meat is a must,바카라� state forest minister Parimal Suklabaidiya says. It is essential for wild animals to maintain their food habits as per their nutritional needs, he asserts. The zoo authorities asked the protesters to forward their demands to the Central Zoo Authority.

The state BJP dismissed Bora바카라�s comments as not that of the party바카라�s. 바카라�Bora is not an office-bearer of any of the state BJP committees...He may be a general member of the party. His remarks can never be BJP바카라�s,바카라� Pabitra Margherita, a spokesperson and in-charge of the state BJP바카라�s IT cell, tells Outlook.

Bora is known for making inflammatory remarks and was in the news recently when he and his supporters were stopped by people from entering a village for a meeting. That led to a clash between the two sides, following which police resorted to lathicharge and opened fire. No one was injured. He was trolled on social media over what most people called a 바카라�stupid stunt바카라�. A Twitter user asked: 바카라�(Now) we know about the tiger바카라�s religion. But what about the caste? Will it be given the sacred thread?....바카라�

By Abdul Gani in Guwahati