From 'bhakti' to burkha, everything is a matter worth prodding for the satirical French. This time, it is a 30-page cartoon looking into the issue and impact of prime minister Modi's pet project - the beef ban.
French journalist and author William De Tamaris, who picked up the topic after a meeting with a 'gau-rakshak' in India, has come out with a 30-page cartoon series telling the world the story of the 'gau-land' currently in an abusive, turbulent relationship with cows.
Even as more and more assault on people who eat or buy beef are getting reported, incidents of a cultural embargo are also not few. It is then that the French have come out with a primer on Indian hate followed by a candid statement from the author who reportedly said that the west's perception of India being a peaceful country has come to an end.
What was earlier a peaceful pair of Gandhi and peace has slipped to a intolerant narrative of Modi and hate, the French media reported.
The author and his illustrator, George H had researched extensively on the subject traveling to Maharashtra, Haryana, UP, Kerala and Rajasthan, after their meeting Vijayakanth Chauhan, the gau-rakshak who allegedly claimed he would kill Gandhi over and again if he could. The meeting had happened in the aftermath of the Dadri lynching in September 2015.
Their bunch of satirical cartoons, showing the impacts and operations of both the gau-rakshaks and others who have borne the brunt of the ban has now come out as a handbook for India's new contribution to the world- Hindutva.
Earlier, the prime minister had warned the cow vigilantes who had been taking the law into their hands. He had also drawn a difference between a 'gau-bhakt' or a 'gau-sevak,' who is a peaceful cow lover and a 'gau- rakshak,' who is an anti-social.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has pulled up the states for not responding with their affidavits on actions against containing the violence unleashed by cow vigilantes. The center had earlier washed off their hands saying even though the legislation was a union issue, the law and order that surrounds the ban is a state issue.
Read more: Latest Nation news | Don't protect any kind of vigilantism: SC to Center, states