Mumbai: Hindu right-wing organisations expressed disappointment after Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union – known by its brand name Gokul – acquired a Halal certification. In a fierce public agitation, threatening a boycott of Gokul products, the organisations have demanded the cooperative unit to cancel the certification.
On Friday, multiple “pro-Hindu organisations” demonstrated an aggressive condemnation of Gokul's halal certification by burning the copy of the certificate in Kolhapur and submitting a memorandum to the administrative board of Gokul, district collector and the local MLA Ashok Mane. Hindu Janajagruti Samiti asserted that the decision was made by bypassing official government certifications in a secular country and has hurt the sentiments of the majority Hindu consumers, demanding immediate action from the authorities.
The Hindu organisations have warned that if the Halal certification will not be revoked immediately, a fierce public agitation, including a boycott of Gokul products, will be launched. They also warned of marching a massive protest to the Gokul headquarters. The organisations have demanded that the certification be canceled immediately and a thorough investigation be conducted into the motives of the then chairman and board of directors under whose tenure the decision to secure halal certification was taken.
While the administrative board of Gokul has justified the certification as a mandatory documentation for exporting products to Gulf countries, the right wing organisations have called it completely incomprehensible, questioning the haste of supplying products to Islamic countries. They asserted that government bodies like Food Safety and Standards Authority of India are sufficient and there is no need for a separate religion-based certification, calling Gokul's move a “blatant insult to the secular Constitution of the country and its government institutions.”
According to these organisations, the centre of the issue lies with the halal certification-issuing organisation, Jamiat Ulema Hind, accusing it of using the funds to fight legal cases for “jihadi terrorists” and creating a dangerous and parallel economy. “Will the hard-earned money of Hindus who consume Gokul milk be indirectly used for anti-national activities and the release of terrorists? If this milk is Halal certified, why should the majority of Hindus pay for it?” said HJS’ state organiser Sunil Ghanavat.
The administrative body of Gokul assured the delegation of Hindu activists that the entire matter would be discussed in detail during the upcoming meeting of the administrative board to take an appropriate decision. The delegation included representatives from Maharaja Pratishthan, Hindu Ekta Andolan, Bajrang Dal, Mandir Mahasangh, Maratha Tituka Melvava, Hindu Mahasabha, Manavadhikar Sanghatana, Positive Watch, and Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad.
