Bengaluru, March 30 : Adding fuel to Hindu Janajagruti Samiti’s nationwide campaign against halal products, BJP National General Secretary CT Ravi gave a different twist to the issue by saying that halal is an economic jihad carried out by radical Islamists. “Halal is an economic jihad. It means that the Muslims should do business with other religious groups therefore halal is used as an ecnomic jihad,” he told reporters here. “Halal is a well-planned design of not buying any products from other religious groups. When Muslims do not buy meat from Hindus, then why do you make a hue and cry when Hindus do not want to buy halal meat? … Harmony is not one-way traffic, but two-way traffic,” he added. Meanwhile Karnataka Hindu Janajagruti Samiti Spokesperson Mohan Gowda released a video asserting that halal is a business design to make non-Muslim groups to buy products only from Muslims and rake in huge money. The money is then used to fund to carry out jihad and plot anti-national conspiracies in India against the state, he said. “We urge all Hindus to boycott halal meat, Halal products and use the Jhatka meat which employs the Hindu way of slaughtering. Let us participate in the economic boycott of such anti national activities,” Gowda urged in the video released by a handle on Twitter. Gowda is seen appealing to Hindus not to buy halal meat ahead of Ugadi as it cannot be offered to Hindu deities as it is offered to Allah first. The Samiti has launched a campaign to boycott halal certified meat. Earlier, many Hindu activists and organisations had protested against the politicisation and compulsion of halal certification on food products. In October 2021, Thushara was assaulted and threatened by Islamist goons for opening a first-ever non-halal restaurant in Kerala. In April same year, a Christian man from Kerala was attacked for selling non-halal certified meat while his food truck was torched in the incident. Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy flayed such boycotts and appealed to Hindu youths not to disturb peace in the state. He however held Congress responsible for the rise in communal politics. “Because of the Congress, such a government came to power. Now, the Congress terms the BJP government as immoral. Who’s responsible for it? Neither the JDS nor me is responsible,” Kumaraswamy argued. BDN GNK 1316