In a blog arguing against the idea of Telangana, I had written the following in July last year:
Proposed state of Telangana will have a very high percentage of Muslims. Looking at J&K and Kerala, that is a recipe for disaster.
I hate to say it but we are already seeing evidence of that even when Telangana is just an idea. It seems that several student groups at Osmania University have organized a beef festival.
The liberal rag TOI says the following:
The clashes broke out Sunday night after some Dalit and left-wing student groups organised a beef festival on the campus, to highlight their demand for including beef in the hostel menu. Over 200 students and some professors attended the festival and ate various dishes made of beef.
The beef festival was organised by Telangana Students Association, Progressive Democratic Student Union, Student Federation of India and student groups from English and Foreign Languages University.
Times of India would have you believe that it was Dalits and Leftists who organized this affair. That is pseudo-secularism for you. They are afraid to accuse the Muslims of even this. Shame on Times of India and whomever is perpetuating this crap. If they want us to believe that no Muslims were involved then they are insulting my intelligence. Even though I don’t know but I am sure that the Telangana supporters (read Muslims) are flexing their muscles. A strong supporter of the freedom of expression, I find this wrong at many levels.
1. Osmania University is not a private university. It is funded by the tax payer money and thus answerable to the Indian people. We Hindus do not approve of eating beef and definitely would not like our money to be spent on organizations approving of this practice. While everyone has the right to exercise their dietary practices, in a public place like the Osmania hostel, the other person’s sensibilities should be considered. If the supporters of this festival want to eat beef, may I suggest moving to a privately funded university?
2. The supporters of the festival say that “The organizers claimed that beef is the part of their cultural identity and an affordable source of nutrition. They said the festival was to oppose 'food fascism' in university hostels”. Well this is where the Muslim participation is exposed. Dalits and Hindu leftists cannot claim that beef is part of their cultural identity. That argument does not hold any water.
3. If the organizers claim that beef is an affordable source of nutrition then I would like to point out that beef is the most uneconomical meat. The amount of meat obtained per unit amount of food is very low for cows. However, that ratio is extremely high for pigs. They eat a lot less and produce the most meat. That is why, pork is the most popular meat in the world. May I suggest that this group, if they claim to be dalits and leftists, eat pork?
4. It is clear that this is a simple case of Muslim muscle flexing. They know that while they have a pliant pseudo-secular government at the center and at the state, they can get away with any anti Hindu activity. I am sure that if the meat eating Hindus wanted to have a Pork festival then the ensuing protests would have been a lot more violent.
My appeal to my brothers in the ABVP is that continue to protest. But refrain from violence. Do not cause injuries to anyone or destroy any property. Use whatever limited media support we have. Get the BJP and RSS involved. Take out processions but eschew violence in any or all forms. Peaceful protest is the only way. It is the Hindu way. After all, we are not leftists and we certainly are not Muslims.
Of course immediately after this, reports are coming up as this being part of a political plot to weaken the Telangana movement. But the fact still remains that over two hundred students and more importantly faculty members participated in this debauchery willingly and that speaks of their malicious intent. That is what bothers me.
The TOI report can be read at:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Beef-festival-turns-Osmania-University-into-battlefield-student-stabbed/articleshow/12687608.cms
Our blogpost can be read at:http://thenethindu.blogspot.com/2011/07/telangana-nation-needs-unity-not.html
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