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

Following the hijab ban, Karnataka appears to be set for yet another major scandal, with a BJP lawmaker in the state’s government preparing a bill to outlaw halal meat a year before the state elections. The state assembly, which began its winter session Monday, is expected to become turbulent over the issue. The bill will likely be opposed by the Congress.

The state government claims it has not yet decided whether to support the bill or not. “Let’s see when it arrives; the private member’s bill has a stand. We’ll find out what it is “Press Trust of India news agency quotes Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

The bill is being quietly moved by BJP assemblyman Ravi Kumar, who asserts that Muslim organisations that “demand hefty amounts for certification” are profiting greatly from the practise of halal certification.

According to the bill, “halal certification be forbidden, until a recognised is authority is appointed,” because “identity and status” of these Muslim organisations are unclear. According to reports, Mr. Ravikumar, who serves as the state BJP’s general secretary, wrote the governor Thawar Chand Gehlot about the matter earlier.

In order to propose the Bill to amend the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, he has now written to the Chairman of the Legislative Council, requesting approval, according to PTI. The Bill would prohibit any private individual or organisation from giving food certification.

According to the letter, the proposed adjustment won’t cost the government anything and will instead generate an extra 5,000 crore in revenue for the state exchequer, according to PTI.

A BJP leader referred to the debate over halal meat, which is produced when animals are slaughtered in accordance with Islamic religious guidelines, as “economic jihad” earlier this year. During the Navratri and Ugadi festivals, a number of right-wing organisations have even called for a boycott of restaurants serving halal meat.

Right-wing organisations had staged demonstrations in front of KFC and McDonald’s in the days before Diwali, calling for them to stop serving non-Muslims meat that has been certified as halal.

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