Cows have made it to the headlines again, but this time around for being presented as a gift by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi, who is currently visiting Rwanda as part of a three-nation tour to Africa, has promised to gift 200 locally-sourced cows to a village in the country.
The cows will be gifted under the “Girinka scheme”, which is a centuries-old cultural practice in Rwanda whereby a cow is given by one person to another, as a sign of respect and gratitude.
Fun fact: Rwanda consumes beef regularly, while in India, certain states have banned its consumption. So, coming at a time when incidents of beef-related mob lynching have been in the news in his own country, the irony of Modi’s gesture wasn’t lost on twitterati.
“Under 'Girinka', a social protection scheme of the Rwandan government personally overseen by President Paul Kagame, poorest families are gifted dairy cows by the government and the first female calf born to the cow is gifted to the neighbour, thus promoting brotherhood and solidarity”, TS Tirumurti, secretary (economic relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs explained.
The Irony Wasn’t Lost on Tweeple
Twitterati, of course, had a field day. Here are some hilarious reactions to the news:
Others left the onus on India’s “gau rakshaks”.
Modi will attend the 10th edition of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa from the 25 to 27 July, during which the leaders are expected to deliberate on issues of trade, international peace and security among others.
(With inputs from PTI)
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