Pratibha Raman/Bengaluru
As Karnataka gears up to celebrate Ugadi which marks the beginning of the New Year for those belonging to the state, a fresh controversy is brewing given the upcoming election year in mind. April 2 is Ugadi and Hindus mark the next day as Hosathodaku where they begin the fresh year with a meat fest.
Post the Hijab row that raged through different pockets of the state, Mohan Gowda, spokesperson of the Hindu Janajagruti Samithi, called for a boycott of halal meat. “During Ugadi, many Hindus follow the tradition of cooking meat to mark Hosathodaku. Let’s all ensure we don’t buy halal meat. We need to boycott this. The Muslim traders cut the animal while chanting Islam prayers. In this manner, they have already made the offering to Allah. How can we accept that into our Hindu tradition? This is against our beliefs. Through the sale of halal meat, a lot of money is being pumped into making this country Islamic. We Hindus must come together to boycott halal meat,” he said.
Soon the statement turned into a vociferous campaign throughout the state capital Bengaluru. Bajrang Dal and VHP members have put up posters in Nelamangala calling for a ban on halal meat. Hindu meat stalls have been set up in the adjoining areas.
Sources say this is a vehement retaliation to the Muslim traders’ decision to observe a bandh post the Hijab verdict. Another source close to the BJP said, “With elections in 2023, this issue will turn in our favour, thanks to polarisation that has been handed to us on a platter.”
BJP leader CT Ravi was quick to endorse the call to boycott halal meat and termed it an ‘economic jihad’. “With halal meat, the Muslims have monopolized the market. And what is wrong in Hindus saying no to halal meat?” he questioned. The ruling party refused to take action against this campaign.
Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said, “All of these reactions have started after Muslims protested against the High Court order in the hijab case. Only when there is a law and order issue, the home ministry will pay attention to it.”
The opposition criticized the Hindu groups terming it an election ploy of the BJP. “With elections around the corner, the ruling party knows that they have lost people’s confidence. They need an issue to divide and rule. That is why they are triggering this tension between Hindus and Muslims. They are not bothered if lives are at stake. They are worried about retaining their power,” said Congress MLA Ajay Singh.
Agreeing with him, JDS president HD Kumaraswamy said, “Hindus and Muslims have been living in harmony for the last several years. The BJP is disrupting this peace between the two communities only to safeguard their power. I request them with folded hands to stop this now.”
Certain BJP leaders have claimed that all communities must be given equal rights to do business. BJP MLA Anil Benake said, “As a lawyer, I state that every community has a right to be given equal opportunity to do business. People must decide where to buy and from whom.”
The BJP source mentioned that Benake’s statement has been diplomatic in many ways. “While he spoke in favour of Muslims doing business, he also said people will decide where to buy it from. There is a catch,” the source elaborated.
Another BJP leader, who spoke in favour of the Muslims is H Vishwanath. “Be it Hindu or Muslim, banning a petty businessman is not right. We are ruining his daily bread and we are ruining human relationships,” he said. According to sources, Vishwanath is known to be a rebel leader in the party after having been allegedly denied plum posts after suffering a massive defeat in his constituency.
However, some leaders have given an entirely new definition to halal. BJP’s Basanagouda Patil Yatnal said, “What does halal mean? It means to spit. This is a culture of spitting on food which is not okay. We Hindus consider food as 'Parabrahma' or God. Hindu religion doesn't allow halal or spitting on food and hence it is correct to ban it.”
Explaining the meaning of halal, Moulana Maqsood Imran Rashidi, Imam, Jamia Masjid, Bengaluru, said, “When you slit the throat and drain the blood out of the animal and serve the meat, we call it halal. When the Muslims perform the task of killing an animal, they do so in Allah’s name. Now, Hindus say we have already made the offering to Allah. If that is offered to Allah, even we can’t eat the meat. It’s like any businessman starting their trade in the name of God.”
All said and done, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has promised to look into this issue. “This issue has been raised now. We have to study it in its entirety. This was a practice that was on for many years. Now, serious objections have been raised regarding this practice. We’ll look into it,” he said.
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