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“Muslim” Meal On Air India To Protect Hindus From “Halal”

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8 years ago

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“Muslim” Meal On Air India To Protect Hindus From “Halal”

~By: Saeed Naqvi

On an Air India flight from London the hostess walked down the aisle taking orders for dinner. She leaned over and asked almost conspiratorially.

“May I serve you your Muslim meal now?”

“Muslim meal?” I asked with a start, casting a glance at my equally puzzled wife.

The hostess was embarrassed. A new detail had been added to her hospitality protocol and she was not accustomed to it.

The damage, it turned out, had been done in my office. Responding to a column on dietary preferences, the person responsible for air reservation had hunted high and low for a simple non-vegetarian meal. No such meal was listed. Then he spotted “Muslim meal”. The explanatory paragraph clarified that “all non vegetarian meals are suitable for Muslims and are prepared in accordance with halal method.”

The journalist in me took over.

“Fair enough, you have identified us as Muslim, but surely there are others on the flight who are non vegetarians but not Muslim?”

Ofcourse, there are non vegetarians on Air India but they would not accept the odium of Muslim ancestry simply to indulge their dietary preference. They want to eat meat but as thoroughbred Hindus.

Two consequences follow. Obstacles in the way of non vegetarianism depresses the demand for non vegetarian food. By the same token Hindu passengers feel they are being short changed. This was reverse discrimination. They see themselves being pushed to the lower end of the culinary caste system. The demand for non-veg, therefore, gains in decibel levels: we want non veg, that’s for sure, but one which is neither “Muslim” nor “halal”.

A three way dietary division evolves: (1) Hindus not fussy about labels: “Muslim” or “halal” accept whatever is available. (2) Those for whom realization has been abrupt that what they have been eating for generations was “Muslim” – halal. Ignorance is bliss but not now that enlightenment has come riding on an Air India menu. (3) Simple vegetarians whose tribe, by the way, is growing by leaps and bounds in India as elsewhere face no problem whatsoever.

For the authors of the “Muslim meal” idea the first category is the most disruptive because it has skewed the process of data collection on how potentially vegetarian or otherwise, India is. This is the key research required for advancing the aspect of Hindutva concerned with promoting non Muslim dietary practices. If this category can stand its ground despite the disincentive of being called Muslims and halal eaters, this non veg constituency might just stabilize, even grow. God forbid, it may come in the way of full spectrum Hindutva, vegetarianism et al.

The second category is demanding a non vegetarian meal which is unsullied by Muslim-halal connotations. This is a new demand. This clientele does not quite know what it wants; it knows what it does not want in the non-veg arena. It has clearly asked the catering department of Air India a question which is not easy to answer: what non veg fare can you serve which is not Muslim-halal?”

Here the discussion acquires exactly the potential for which it was initiated – to polarize and, as a trial run, divide the aircraft cabin between vegetarians and non vegetarians who, the perpetrators hope, would not like to be grouped as halal-eating Muslims. The cabin is, in this instance, a microcosm of the meat-mukt India of Hindutva’s dreams.

A quick answer to halal is jhatka, the method of severing the animal’s head with one stroke, favoured by Sikhs. The jhatka-halal debate is custom made for an Arnab Goswami show. Have a devout Sikh, a muscular Mullah and a Bajrang Bali Bhakt, peer out of three windows. Extract all the gory details on jhatka and halal from the spokesmen of two distinct schools of slaughter. A possible walkout by the abstemious Bajrangi may well spur Hindu consolidation on an unprecedented scale.

On a more practical note, the “shosha” (mischief) started by AI can be put to some constructive use. A new approach to cuisine may involve drastic change: a non veg cuisine developed over centuries as a near art form may have to be jettisoned from official banquets and national carriers. The problem will, ofcourse, arise when lynch mobs on the lookout for a cause, enter restaurants advertising non veg fare. Individual non vegetarians may also incur the wrath of the lynch mobs. In fact a malicious rumour has been floated that the monkeys that have been let loose on Delhi’s citizenry are an animal loving Minister’s project directed against non-veg addicts. The monkeys, says the rumour, are being trained on the Ridge to block entry of meat into non veg kitchens. The producer of super hit Bajrangi Bhaijan, has threatened to go on hunger strike if the avatars of Bajrang Bali are involved in operations which have anything, negative or positive, to do with meat

The hypocrisy around the cuisine at official banquets at Hyderabad House or even the Rashtrapti Bhawan until the other day, has always bordered on the pathetic. There was an insistence on tasteless fare called Mughlai food at a time when streets named after the dynasty were under assault. The banquets begin with a bogus “toast” of some flat cola. This then is a good time to take a hard look at the rampaging Vegan movement globally. Climate change, animal care, fear of artificially inflated livestock for the table is turning the world to organic, vegetarian food. Jeremy Corbyn, who may well be Britain’s Prime Minister one day, is a vegetarian.

The core idea of the Nouvelle cuisine Air India should be searching for (and not just creating communal trouble) was available in the “prasada” or “offering” cooked each day in gigantic vessels at the Dargah in Ajmer. The daily fare followed one golden principle: it should be acceptable to widest possible range of pilgrims. The “prasada” was free even of onion, garlic, mushrooms, potatoes or any vegetable which grows underground. This principle is followed in all major Hindu and Sikh places of worship. Somewhere here is the answer to Air India’s quest. To monitor strict vegetarianism in flight, a free ticket may be considered for a representative of the lynch mob on every Air India flight.

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BJP to launch 5,000-km Parivartan Yatra across West Bengal ahead of Assembly elections

Published

11 hours ago

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February 28, 2026

By

BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will begin its large-scale ‘Parivartan Yatra’ in poll-bound West Bengal from Sunday, marking a major political outreach drive ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

The party said the campaign is designed to mobilise support across the state and counter what it alleges has been more than a decade of “corrupt, undemocratic, and anti-people governance” under the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Statewide mobilisation across nine divisions

According to party leaders, the Yatra will be conducted simultaneously in all nine organisational divisions of West Bengal. The outreach programme is expected to cover nearly 5,000 kilometres, passing through 38 organisational districts and more than 230 Assembly constituencies.

The BJP estimates the initiative will generate over one crore direct public touchpoints, focusing heavily on face-to-face interactions and grassroots engagement. As part of the campaign plan, the party has scheduled 63 large rallies and 281 welcome meetings at key entry points of Assembly constituencies.

With the slogan “Paltano Dorkar, Chai BJP Sorkar”, the party has framed the Yatra as both an electoral campaign and a broader political movement aimed at strengthening its organisational presence across the state.

Focus on governance, law and order, and corruption

The party’s messaging during the Yatra will centre on governance, accountability, and systemic reforms. BJP leaders plan to raise concerns related to women’s safety, alleged corruption in the education sector, including teacher recruitment issues, and what they describe as threats to national security.

Party sources indicated that demographic changes, illegal infiltration, and the presence of extremist elements in border districts will also be key themes during the campaign.

In rural areas, the outreach will emphasise agricultural infrastructure, implementation of centrally sponsored schemes, and removal of intermediaries. In urban regions, the narrative will focus on industrial development, youth employment, and improvements in urban transport systems.

Senior leaders to participate

More than 100 senior leaders from the central and state units are expected to be involved in the Yatra. The inaugural phase, scheduled for Sunday and Monday, will feature five launch events on the first day and four on the second.

Senior BJP leaders including Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Rajnath Singh, Dharmendra Pradhan, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Nitin Nabin are expected to attend various programmes during the campaign.

After a short break for Holi, the Yatra will resume from March 5 to March 10, with each unit operating for approximately nine hours daily. The campaign is set to culminate in a major public meeting at Kolkata’s Brigade Ground, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address supporters.

The BJP is positioning the Parivartan Yatra as a significant step in reshaping the political landscape of West Bengal as the state moves closer to the Assembly elections.

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BJP alliances in Assam likely to be sealed by March 10

Published

11 hours ago

on

February 28, 2026

By

himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has indicated that the alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) is expected to be finalised by March 10 ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

The AGP, a long-time ally of the BJP in Assam, is also a founding member of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Discussions between the partners are progressing, with indications that the formal announcement could come within days.

Sources said there could be “friendly fights” between the BJP and AGP in a few constituencies. Such arrangements may be considered to accommodate local-level aspirations and party workers from both sides.

The BJP is also likely to conclude seat-sharing discussions with the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) by March 10. In the previous Assembly election, the BPF had aligned with the Indian National Congress (Congress), but it has now returned to the NDA fold.

However, seat-sharing talks between the BJP and its other Bodoland-region partner, the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), are reportedly facing hurdles. Earlier, Mr Sarma had stated that the UPPL would not join hands with the Congress.

On the opposition side, the Congress is dealing with its own alliance challenges. Negotiations with Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal are underway, but sources suggested that discussions have not been progressing smoothly.

Congress sources said seat-sharing arrangements with the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and Left parties are almost finalised. An official announcement is awaited from the party’s high command.

As political negotiations intensify, both the ruling NDA and the opposition camp are working to conclude alliances and seat-sharing deals in the run-up to the state polls.

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Rohit Pawar alleges big personality link in Ajit Pawar plane crash case

Published

1 day ago

on

February 27, 2026

By

Rohit pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Thursday alleged that a “big personality” was connected to the company linked to the plane crash that killed his uncle, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and others in Baramati last month.

Addressing reporters after holding a protest, Rohit Pawar demanded the resignation of Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu. He alleged that the minister’s party had financial links to the company involved in the crash and said he should step down from his post.

“The owner of VSR company is close to very powerful leaders. Many people in Maharashtra are connected to this. There is a clear attempt to protect VSR because some ‘big personality’ is involved in this,” Rohit Pawar said.

Demand for wider probe

The fatal aircraft accident occurred in Baramati on January 28. Following the incident, the investigation into the accidental deaths of Ajit Pawar and others was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Pune Police, considering the gravity of the case.

Rohit Pawar questioned the progress of the probe and said the public must be informed about the steps taken so far. He pointed out that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) examines technical aspects of an aviation mishap, but not possible criminal angles.

Additional Director General of Police Sunil Ramanand said the CID investigation is exploring multiple aspects, including whether there was any foul play or sabotage behind the accident, whether criminal negligence played a role, and whether there was any larger conspiracy. He added that the AAIB report would be incorporated into the CID’s findings once received.

Family voices concerns

Referring to concerns raised by family members, Rohit Pawar said that Jay Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s son, had expressed doubts on social media regarding the aircraft’s black box. Sunetra Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s wife, has sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Speaking emotionally about his relationship with his uncle, Rohit Pawar said Ajit Pawar had guided him politically and personally. He added that Ajit Pawar had wished to reunite with Sharad Pawar and had recently spoken to him.

The CID continues its investigation, while awaiting the technical report from the AAIB.

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