After Hijab Row, Proposed Halal Ban Could Be Karnataka’s Next Big Controversy

New Delhi:

Karnataka appears to be heading for another major controversy following the hijab ban, with a leader of the ruling BJP planning a bill to ban halal meat a year before state elections. The issue is expected to create a storm in the state parliament, which began its winter session yesterday. Congress is set to oppose the bill.

The state government said there has been no call yet on whether it supports the bill. “Let’s wait and see when it comes out; the private members bill has its place. We’ll see what it is,” India’s Press Trust news agency quoted Minister Basavaraj Bommai as saying.

BJP’s Ravi Kumar, a senate member of the council who is campaigning on the bill privately, has stated that halal certification is done by Islamic authorities that “collect huge certification fees” and are making huge profits from this.

Given that the “identity and status” of these Islamic bodies is unclear, the bill proposes that “halal certification is prohibited, until the authority is recognized”.

Reports say Mr Ravikumar – who is also BJP state secretary general – had previously written to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot about the matter.

Now, he has written to the Chairman of the Legislative Council, asking for permission to introduce the 2006 Food Safety and Standards Act Amendment Bill, prohibiting any private person or organization from issuing food certification. products, PTI reported.

The letter claims the proposed amendment will not place any financial burden on the government and will instead bring in additional revenue of Rs 5,000 crore to the state treasury, PTI reported.

Controversy over halal meat – where animals are slaughtered according to Islamic religious standards – began earlier this year, with one BJP leader calling it “economic jihad”. Some right-wing organizations have even called for a boycott of eateries serving halal meat during the Navratri and Ugadi festivals.

Before Diwali, a number of right-wing organizations organized protests outside multinational food chains like KFC and McDonalds, demanding that they not serve halal-certified meat to non-Muslims. .

Congress has declared the halal ban as a BJP ploy to draw attention away from their mismanagement and real problems in the state, which will have parliamentary elections next year.

Karnataka went through a rough patch earlier this year with the state government banning female students from using the hijab in educational institutions. The Supreme Court upheld the injunction then the matter was referred to the High Court.

In October, the highest court issued a split ruling, with one judge asserting that the state has the right to enforce school uniforms and the other describing the hijab as a matter of concern. make a choice.