MADRAS, India -- The Indian cow is not mad. But it has enough clout to cause insanity among the country's political classes, and even the masses.
India's Hindu majority considers the cow to be holy. It is worshipped, petted and pampered. Naturally, its slaughter is banned in most parts of this nation of 1 billion people.
At times, all this celebration and concern boil down to bovine absurdity -- for instance, when Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was recently accused of eating beef. It is not surprising that he vehemently denied the charges, for he had much to lose if the smear campaign succeeded.