麻豆社

The cow is a polarising animal in India. The majority Hindu community considers the cow sacred, and cow protection is an extremely emotive issue.

Some political parties have tried to use the issue to consolidate their vote, but this brand of politics has led to sharp divisions in society, and even mob killings.

Cattle which would have been slaughtered for meat and leather are now being abandoned, and are roaming the streets without enough shelters to house them. They're destroying crops and affecting farmers' livelihoods. And all this is affecting the multi-billion dollar leather, beef and dairy industries.

In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we discuss the rise of cow politics and whether it is hurting India's image and economy. Has the movement for cow protection gone too far?

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Contributors: Subramanian Swamy, senior parliamentarian and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party; Manisha Sethi, activist and professor of sociology at Jamia Milia Islamia; Martin Howell, South Asia bureau chief, Reuters

Image: Stray cattle at a temporary shelter (Credit: Money Sharma/AFP/Getty Images)