BJP leader urges boycott of halal goods, links it to terrorism
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath urges ban on halal goods, echoing Hindutva conspiracy linking Muslim trade to extremism
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A senior leader of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called for a nationwide boycott of halal-certified goods, claiming profits from their sale fund “terrorism, forced conversions, and love jihad.”
The statement, delivered by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, marks a new escalation in India’s state-backed campaign against Muslim economic and cultural identity.
Speaking at an event in his hometown of Gorakhpur, Adityanath said his government had already banned halal products across Uttar Pradesh — India’s most populous state — and warned businesses against selling items bearing halal certification.
He alleged that roughly 250 billion Indian rupees ($3 billion) generated through halal trade were being “misused for extremist activity.”
The remarks came during celebrations organised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the BJP, to commemorate its 100th anniversary.
Adityanath used the platform to attack what he called “political Islam,” portraying it as an existential threat to Hindu civilization while praising the RSS for its “historic struggle” and for championing the construction of the Ram temple on the site of the demolished Babri Mosque.
Human rights observers say the speech exemplifies the growing entanglement of religion, governance, and hate politics under the BJP. The concept of love jihad — a debunked conspiracy theory alleging Muslim men lure Hindu women into marriage for religious conversion — has been weaponised by Hindu nationalist leaders to justify surveillance of interfaith couples and restrictive laws on marriage and conversion.
Analysts view the call to boycott halal goods as part of a broader campaign to delegitimize Muslim participation in India’s economy. Halal certification, which verifies that food and consumer products meet Islamic dietary standards, has no political or financial connection to terrorism, yet far-right groups have increasingly cast it as an “economic jihad.”
Similar boycotts have emerged in several BJP-ruled states in recent years, often preceding outbreaks of communal violence.
The chief minister’s remarks also highlight India’s shifting political discourse, where religious majoritarianism has replaced secular governance as the dominant state narrative.
Adityanath, a Hindu monk-turned-politician with a long record of incendiary statements, has positioned himself as the ideological spearhead of the BJP’s Hindutva project — fusing religious identity with nationalism while vilifying Muslims as internal enemies.
Rights advocates warn that such rhetoric has tangible consequences. Under Adityanath’s administration, Muslims in Uttar Pradesh have faced home demolitions, arbitrary arrests, and bans on religious gatherings.
For India’s 200 million Muslims, the halal boycott call is more than a policy threat — it is a signal that their faith, food, and livelihoods are being systematically targeted in a nation once constitutionally committed to secularism.
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