Congress challenges BJP and right-wing activists to stop halal meat business of Reliance, Adani, Ramdev

Former Congress minister Priyank Kharge shows halal certificates of major food exporting companies, including Reliance Industries Limited, Ramdev Food Products Private Limited, Adani Wilmar Limited

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson Priyank Kharge has challenged right-wing activists to prove their patriotism by stopping BJP supporters who are into the halal meat business.

“BJP MLA C.T. Ravi appears to have taken heed of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for Atmanirbhar Bharat by launching an offensive against halal meat. Many right-wing organisations and activists have joined him in his so-called fight against halal meat. I would give him a list of top business houses in India that are into the halal meat business and are exporting halal food products to many countries, especially Muslim countries in the Gulf. I challenge him to stop these companies from doing halal meat business to prove his patriotism and commitment to Prime Minister’s call for Atmanirbhar Bharat,” Mr. Priyank said.

Addressing a media conference at the local Congress party office in Kalaburagi on April 6, the former Congress minister showed the halal certificates that major food exporting companies, including Reliance Industries Limited, Ramdev Food Products Private Limited, Adani Wilmar Limited, OM Industries, ITC Limited, Dabur India Limited, Krishna Industries Limited, Tata Consumer Products Limited and AmulFed Dairy, obtained from Jamiat Ulama Halal Foundation (JUHF). He asked Mr. Ravi and other right-wing activists to prove their patriotism by stopping these companies from doing business in halal food products.

“Halal food business is a $1.3 trillion industry in India. India is the second-largest exporter of halal food products to Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries, with its annual export worth $14.2 billion after Brazil ($16.2 billion). Most of the top business houses that are into halal food business in India have obtained halal certificates from Jamiat Ulama Halal Foundation (JUHF), and are staunch supporters of the BJP. If C.T. Ravi and other right-wing activists are serious in their opposition to halal food products and have enough guts, they should prove their patriotism by first stopping these companies from doing halal food business,” Mr. Priyank Kharge said.

Attacking BJP leaders for their ‘hypocrisy’, Mr. Priyank said that Union Minister for Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal had requested the Indonesian government to allow Indian halal meat to be exported directly to importers and distributors of Indonesia without any restriction and duties.

“These BJP leaders show their Hindutva heroism by opposing halal meat on the one hand and support the halal meat business houses on the other hand… In a democracy, it is very much common that a party shows its report card before the people and seek votes during an election. But, BJP doesn’t have any achievements to show. That is why it is raising communal issues to polarise voters along religious lines and seek votes from the majority,” Mr. Priyank said.