It is very important to have the political will to bring a constructive change in a particular area. Unless they are convinced of bringing a change no one in a country can do it no matter how many dharnas or public procession one does.
Let's see the list of prime ministers of India who had animals as pets in their homes.
There have been 15 prime ministers of India. But only five of them had pets.
It's quite possible that others may have had but no such information is available in the public domain.
The first prime minister of India was Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. His love for animals is not hidden from the world. He had a small zoo inside his residence which consisted of animals like cows, panda, horses, tigers and dogs. It was during his tenure that the prevention of cruelty to animals act 1960 came into existence. This only speaks volumes about his vision for India. He had a foresight which unfortunately today's politicians lack.
The next in line was his daughter Shrimati Indira Gandhi. She inherited the love for animals from her father. Raised in a house which had animals she instantly developed love for them. She went a step further and did unimaginable work in the area of animal conservation. She hated zoos and freed many animals into the wild. She rightly understood that without a rich flaura and fauna a country can never progress in the long run. She started important projects like project Tiger to conserve and protect the tigers of India who also happen to be the national animal of India. She was a visionary who could see ahead of her times.
Shri Rajiv Gandhi was the son of Shrimati Indira Gandhi. Who took over as prime minister after the demise of his mother. He could not do much in the area of animal welfare but just like his mother he too had love for animals. He had three pet dogs.
This has been documented in a book entitled ''Assasination of Rajiv Gandhi' by Meenakshi Ahluwalia
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the next prime minister in line who had dogs and cats as pets. But unlike the Gandhi family he never made his love for dogs public.
As the prime minister of India he took some very important measures for his four legged friends. The animal birth control (dog) rules 2001 was enacted under the prevention of cruelty to animals act during his leadership. This was done to curb dog overpopulation by Sterilizing them. He did it with the help of his very able cabinet ministers T R Baalu, Arun Jaitley and Maneka Gandhi. Shrimati Maneka Gandhi has always spoken fearlessly for animal rights in India.
It's really sad that with change of governments and leadership the goals and objectives also change. The ABC programme is not being run in the spirit in which it was made. Thanks to the poor management and vision of the successive governments.
Next in line is our current Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He too has an immense love for animals. But just like his predecessor Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee he too does not like to go public with his love for his furry friends. There is a soft and compassionate side to this most courageous Man of India, but it seems to be hidden from the world.
While his pictures can be seen with cows on social media but with dogs can be hardly see. No one knows if he has dogs or cats as pets and if he had them in past nothing much is known about them.
Recently he was featured in Bear Grylls man vs wild programme on discovery channel.
India has currently got a prime minister who has both the qualities of compassion and courage which is a combination which rarely leaders have.
Either they are full of compassion and lack the courage to take tough decisions or they are brutal and heartless who take only tough decisions without compassion. Such decisions can never do good to the society.
One such person who had this extraordinary combination and the reason why today there are animal right activists fighting for the protection of animals is Queen Victoria.
She showed the world that courage and compassion are two sides of the same coin. And a good leader should possess both.
England and the whole world would have been as barbaric as many are today had it not been for this visionary. She was both courageous and compassionate.
Her love for dogs started right from her childhood. And the first dog she kept as a pet was Dash. Later she kept more dogs as pets and after she was crowned the queen of England many royalties followed her footsteps and started keeping dogs as pets.
It was under her reign that the parliament passed the cruelty to animals act in 1876. It was during her reign that the British empire was at it's pinnacle. It had an unprecendented growth in all spheres: politics, science, technolgy, medicine....
Leaders who can have an impact and leave a name for themselves for generations to come cannot do it by turning a blind eye to their flaura and fauna.
The voices of agony, pain and suffering of trees and animals can only be heard by the enlightened souls. The ones who have compassion.
Mahatma Gandhi was one such man. And India is proud to have him as the father of the nation.
He said " the greatness of a Nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated"