The mangoes are now the prey! Fringe groups urge boycott of Muslim fruit vendors

There appears to be no end to the demands from Karnataka’s fringe organizations. Following the prohibition on the headscarf, the boycott of halal meat, the boycott of Muslim shopkeepers at temples, and the ban on loudspeakers in mosques, they have now called for a boycott of Muslim fruit dealers. Several fringe Hindutva organizations in Karnataka, including the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and Srirama Sene, have issued an odd plea to boycott Muslim fruit dealers who have ‘controlled the business’ in order for Hindu businessmen to take over the market.

‘Mango markets are dominated by Muslim traders, and it is past time for impoverished Hindu mango producers and dealers to take control,’ Srirama Sene’s Siddalinga Swamiji remarked. He did, however, state that they are not opposed to Muslims engaging in the fruit industry. ‘We are not urging Muslims not to do business; we are just suggesting that Hindu youth should become involved in market-related activities and Muslims cannot dictate pricing,’ he said.

Prashanth Sambargi, another right-wing politician in Karnataka, expressed similar sentiments. ‘The Hindu farmers perform the hard labor, while the advantages are grabbed by the middle Muslim seller. We conducted a study on this economic cycle and discovered that the Hindu farmer is at the mercy of an unorganized specific group. We’ve launched a drive to eliminate this intermediary in the business,’ he explained.

Opposition parties such as the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) have slammed right-wing organizations for advising people not to buy mangoes from Muslim sellers. ‘It is anti-national for organizations to advise people not to buy mangoes from Muslim sellers,’ stated former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy.

“For hundreds of years, we have all eaten the fruits and other eatables they (Muslims) sold. ‘Why do such concerns arise only during election seasons? It’s only to garner votes,’ Kumaraswamy explained. With the Assembly elections approaching, Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that the BJP is exploiting our society with communal concerns for political advantage, adding that ‘this would backfire BJP in the coming days.’

Karnataka is one of the leading mango growers in India, with 1.68 lakh hectares under cultivation in 16 districts including Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Dharwad, and Ramanagara. The demand for a boycott aimed at further marginalizing Muslims in Karnataka comes at a time when some, including senior business leaders from India’s IT sector, are pleading with state Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to address the state’s ‘communal exclusion’ and ‘increasing religious split’.