Page 29 - EducationWorld May 2022

Expert Comment

Bigotry is bad for

business & economy

NEERAJ KAUSHAL

HAT DEEP SENSE OF INSECURITY com- e stark truth is that violence and
pels BJP karyakartas (rank and file) to fear minority bashing is bad for business
that the existence of other cultures in so- and the economy. It damages the fabric
Wciety threatens their own? What inferiority
complex urges them to believe that unless they terrorise of society, interrupts commerce and
minorities, they will not be true Hindus? These questions breaks down law and order
require deep psychological analysis.
In recent months, BJP bhakts have gone full steam not know how the animals are slaughtered. All restaurant
against the minorities. They are frothing with hate speeches owners — Hindu, Christian, Sikhs — will be adversely im-
on social media, staging provocative processions, threat- pacted by these orders.
ening violence, and engaging in demolitions in minority Cow vigilantism combined with ban on cow slaughter has
neighbourhoods and places of worship, and stirring up mi- nearly killed the cattle economy in the Hindi belt, impacting
nority schools and colleges. Hindu cattle rearers as well as Muslim cattle traders. The
First, it was love jihad, then violence against minority price of milch cows has fallen from Rs.50,000 to Rs.15,000
schools, then rewriting textbooks to glorify Hindu kings and in recent months, with few takers for male calves. Villagers,
vilify Muslim rulers, next inciting violence around mosques including Hindus, find it more profitable and less risky to
and churches, engaging in violence against individuals rear buffalos rather than cows. The number of male calves
suspected of being involved in the cattle trade followed by in the country has fallen from 84 million in 2007 to 47 mil-
aggression against people eating meat, then imposing re- lion in 2019. The monthly cost of maintaining unproductive
strictions on the sort of meat restaurants can sell. The list cattle is Rs.7,500. So farmers simply release them, unleash-
continues to grow. ing the menace of stray cattle on communities around them.
There seems to be a presumption that bigotry, minor- Stray cattle are secular. They destroy farms and properties
ity bashing, and communal violence hurts only minorities, of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians with equal zeal.
even when there’s enough evidence to the contrary. The iewed on a wider canvas, instances of hate crime and
stark truth is violence and minority bashing is bad for busi- Vhate speech are also damaging India’s global standing
ness, and the economy. It damages the fabric of society, and economic interests. Consumers in western countries
weakens institutions of governance, interrupts commerce have at times responded to instances of brazen bigotry by
and breaks down law and order. Spreading hatred against boycotting products to punish countries engaged in such
minorities may benefit the BJP by way of consolidation of oppression. Growing instances of minority targeting could
Hindu votes, but it’s a dangerous game that can spark com- cause loss of foreign markets for Indian products, as Ra-
munal riots leading to widespread socio-economic conse- ghuram Rajan, former RBI governor, implied in a recent
quences. statement. Foreign investors may decide to withdraw their
Sadly, leaders of the BJP government at the Centre and investment if they find that communal prejudice and vio-
in several states are slow and often silent, in condemning lence is worsening law and order, which increases the risk
instances of hate speech and violence against minorities. of doing business in India.
And the silence of top BJP leaders is more deafening than Unfortunately, the BJP rank and file believe there is no
the high-volume hate speeches of its rank and file. downside to engaging in violence. The police often looks
It’s self-evident that industry and business prosper in the other way when Hindu vigilantes threaten and target
peaceful and orderly environments. When civic govern- minorities. When arrested, they are released without much
ments impose restrictions on businesses based on the reli- or any punishment. But though they may be protected, the
gious practices of a certain community, it affects not only Indian economy is not. The surge in communal conflict and
the business of that community but all businesses. Recent violence will hit economic growth at a time when the global
guidelines issued by the Delhi Municipal Corporation on economy is on the edge of a recession.
restaurant owners to label the meat they serve is a case in
point. While some restaurants may slaughter animals they (Dr. Neeraj Kaushal is associate professor of social work at Columbia
use in food preparation, most buy it from butchers and may University, USA)

MAY 2022 EDUCATIONWORLD 29