Shiv Sena MLAs demand ban on Halal products in Maharashtra, as in UP

CM orders inquiry into Halal products

Shiv Sena MLAs (From left) – Santosh Bangar, Pratap Sarnaik, CM Eknath Shinde, MLA Manisha Kayande, Sunil Ghanwat of HJS and Bharatsheth Gogavale at Vidhan Bhavan

Nagpur – Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of Uttar Pradesh has banned issuing illegal Halal Certificates in the State. A similar ban should be imposed even in Maharashtra; demanded Shiv Sena MLAs – Dr Manisha Kayande, Bharatsheth Gogavale, Pratap Sarnaik, Santosh Bangar, Balaji Kalyankar, and Prakash Surve – with the State Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on meeting him at Vidhan Bhavan. On learning about the illegal Halal Certification issue took serious note. CM Shinde called up his officials and asked them to conduct an inquiry and submit a report. Mr Sunil Ghanwat, the Maharashtra State Coordinator of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), Mr Abhijit Polake, the HJS Coordinator in Nagpur, and other office bearers were also present.

Against the background of the winter session of the State Legislative Assembly, HJS gave detailed information on Halal Certification to MLA Dr Manisha Kayande, along with a book ‘Halal Jihad’ published by HJS. Taking note of the same, she wrote a letter to the CM with the above demand.

MLA Dr Kayande showed a few Halal-certified products from Maharashtra to the CM and explained to him that there was no legal provision for showing Halal Certification on the packaging of dairy products, sugar, bakery products, snacks, ready-to-eat products, edible oils, medicines, medical equipment, and cosmetics; nor was there any provision under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules; still if there was a sign of Halal Certification on the cover of such products, directly or indirectly, it was a punishable offence.

As per the laws and rules related to edible products, the ‘Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI)’ has been authorised to set the standard for edible products and their certification. Halal Certification is a parallel system that can create confusion about the quality of a product violating the Government’s rules. Halal India Pvt. Ltd, Halal Certification Services India Pvt. Ltd, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust, Mumbai, and Jamiat Ulama Maharashtra are organisations that illegally issue Halal certificates all over the country including Maharashtra. The money earned from such certification is used for providing legal aid to about 700 accused from terrorist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Indian Mujahideen, Islamic State, etc. Proof of these illegal activities was also submitted to the CM when he took a serious note of the same. He said that he had heard about it. Where was the need for Halal Certification in India ? It is a serious matter. The Government will conduct an in-depth inquiry into the issue and take necessary action.