This Article is From Sep 03, 2014

22 Rhinos Dead This Year, Environment Minister to Visit Kaziranga

22 Rhinos Dead This Year, Environment Minister to Visit Kaziranga

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The rhinos of Kaziranga are dying fast. And Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar wants to know why.

On September 4, the minister would be visiting the park along with Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi for a field inspection. He would also meet senior officials to chalk out an action plan.

Assam's premier national park -- an UNESCO world heritage site and the only home of the Indian one-horned rhino -- has lost 22 rhinos till August this year. Seven poachers have been gunned down and a few have been arrested. But conviction rate being abysmal in poaching cases, the ground reality has not changed.

But Mr Javadekar's visit is not merely in a green cause. There's some saffron in it too.

Assam is heading for by-polls later this year. Though only three seats are involved, it is important for the BJP, which had practically crushed the Congress to win seven of the state's 14 parliamentary seats in May.

The by-polls will prove if the magic holds - and that's what makes the rhino important.

Rhino poaching is an emotive issue for the state and the BJP had made it a key poll plank for the general elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was leading the party's poll campaign, had even triggered a controversy when he accused the state's ruling Congress of being hand-in-glove with poachers and destroying forest cover to provide shelter to Bangladeshi migrants.

The political pot is about to boil again. It remains to be seen whether it actually helps in rhino welfare.
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