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DISCOURSE 40
229
Maharajashri : This is democracy, you see! In a democracy, they need the votes of people to become leaders. In order to get the votes of people, leaders have to please them. Meateaters are promised that they would be given facilities to eat meat. This is done to secure their votes. In order to secure the votes of wine-drinkers, the leaders promise them that drinks would not be prohibited. At the time of election, lakhs of bottles of liquor are distributed.
Those who drink liquors do not give their votes to the candidates who advocate prohibition. Meat-eaters do not give their votes to the candidates who want to prohibit meat-eating. We do not have in our country leaders who are not attached to power, and who can without caring for power fight against evils, bad habits and derogations and can eradicate them. If rarely, some leaders, who oppose those evils, contest elections, they are defeated because their rivals support meat-eating and wine-drinking and secure a majority of votes. Therefore, my conjecture is that as long as democracy continues; and as long as the system of elections continues meat-eating and winedrinking cannot be prohibited at the national level.
WHAT HAVE WE GOT FROM FREEDOM ? CULTURE HAS BEEN DECAYING
After we secured our freedom how many slaughter-houses have appeared in our country? The English government feared Indians little and that government did not care to keep in its view the religious feelings of Indians. After independence, the native leaders in power, have only done the job of crushing down the religious ideas of people. In our country which gives importance to non-violence, everywhere we see the diabolical dance of violence. In large slaughter-houses, every day, lakhs of animals are being butchered. Meat is exported to foreign countries; and foreign exchange is being earned. Selling meat? Selling liquors! What has been happening in this country of Bhagwan Mahavir ? Can you think of it? Under these changed times and changed circumstances, it is not easy to save yourselves from the sins of meat-eating and wine-drinking. Yet it is absolutely essential that you should keep off those evils. You
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