Calf slaughter in Kerala: It's not the electoral, Congress has lost its moral fibre

On the day of the Uttar Pradesh election result, the general opinion was that the idea of a Congress-mukt Bharat was becoming a reality for the country. I disagreed, I argued that the grand old party of the country could not be defined by its electoral performance, but the ethos of the party, founded by visionaries who toiled for the nation’s Independence, is what defines what Congress is.

To me, Congress is more than just a political party, it is a thought, it’s an ideology, which cannot be measured by the number of seats won in an election. It’s the ideology of non-violence on which this nation was built. From Mahatma Gandhi to Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, they were the leaders who led India down this path of development.

I still believe that the spirit of Congress is alive. I will take a page from Indira Gandhi’s life, where she said, “There are moments in history when brooding tragedy and its dark shadows can be lightened by recalling great moments of the past” to illuminate some of the party’s history. This is resonant with exemplary governance demonstrated by leaders of the Congress party when it came to matters of nature and environment.

It was Jawaharlal Nehru along with Rukmini Devi Arundale who brought in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, which for its time was one of the most progressive animal protection legislation in the world.

Indira Gandhi was an environmentalist. She brought in the Wildlife Protection Act – legislation to protect forests, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act which created the Pollution Control Boards at both Union and state-level and also Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act. She also made it a fundamental duty to be compassionate to all living creatures. Rajiv Gandhi continued the legacy and brought the Environment (Protection) Act. Recently, under the regime of UPA1 and UPA 2 – there were a spell of animal welfare reforms, including a chapter on animal welfare in the food safety regulations which among many things requires humane slaughter of animals for food.

But I find myself wondering about the cause of the demise of the Congress party, and I think I have found the answer in Kerala.

When I saw the video of those young men kill a sentient being to make a political point, I realised it wasn’t just the electoral that the party had lost, but it’s moral fibre. It seems to have lost the spirit of compassion, integrity, and non-violence on which the political party was based. It’s lost to us, but hopefully not irrevocably.

If the Congress party wants to redeem itself, then instead of focusing on vote banks, it needs to focus on rebuilding the party – on the ideology on which many inspiring Congress leaders built the party. Make India once again a nation of compassion, a nation that treats everyone equally.

It makes me sad that following this gruesome incident, all the party did was to condemn the attack and suspend the worker. The party should send out a message, one of strong leadership that will not accept such brutality and cruelty, one that reminds us of our glorious past when it comes to compassion and conservation. Not only is the act illegal and the perpetrators need to be prosecuted, but a precedent needs to be set.

Indira Gandhi once said, “Actions today mould our tomorrow.” It’s time to take corrective action.

The author is a lawyer by profession, former member of the Animal Welfare Board of India and is a member of the Indian Youth Congress.