Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Chikkamagaravalli Thimme Gowda Raavu a.k.a CT Ravi had last made the news when he raised the slogan “desh ke gaddaro ko goli maro!” (shoot the traitors) as his reaction to the alleged “security breach” on the Prime Minister’s route in Punjab in December. Now, the BJP National general Secretary, who is also a four-time MLA from Chikmagalur, has decided to join the right-wing groups’ hate call to boycott ‘Halal’ meat which they equate with Muslim dietary habits, and has called all Halal food ‘economic jihad’ reported The New Indian Express.

Attaching words like Jihad/Jehad when they want to target Muslims is a well known right wing tactic, which has once again begun doing the rounds of social media as the the Hindu New Year falls on April 2. This time, the messages “appeal” to Hindus to boycott Halal meat. 

In Ravi’s home state of Karnataka, the festival is celebrated with great joy and special foods are cooked, offered to gods, and shared with friends and family. According to the TNIE report, “A day after Ugadi, a section of “non-vegetarian” Hindus offer meat to God and celebrate the New Year.” However, this year some right wing groups are asking people to skip this part of the celebrations. Ravi seems to have added fuell to this call and remarked that Halal food was so called  ‘economic jihad’. A massive econmic boycott forbidding Muslim / non-Hindu vendors around temples during fairs is gathering steam in  Karnataka. Now Ravi says, “Halal is an economic Jehad. It means that it is used like a Jehad so that Muslims should not do business with others. It has been imposed. When they think that Halal meat should be used, what is wrong in saying that it should not be used?”

According to him Halal meat offered to ‘their [Muslim] God’ is dear to them (Muslims) “but for Hindus, it is somebody’s leftover” stated the report adding that Ravi believed “Halal has been designed in a planned way so that the products should be purchased only from Muslims and not others.” He asked the media, “When Muslims refuse to buy meat from Hindus, why should you insist on Hindus to buy from them? What right people have to even ask this?” Ravi went a dangerous step ahead to reportedly say that “if Muslims agree to eat non-Halal meat, then these people (Hindus) will also use Halal meat.” 

According to the news report 61 progressive thinkers from the State, including K Maralusiddappa, Prof S G Siddaramaiah, Bolwar Mahamad Kunhi and Dr Vijaya, have written to the Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai with an appeal to check religious hatred. They wrote, “It is shameless work to deliberately instil religious hatred in this land where the epistle is sung as a garden of racial peace,” adding “festivals are held all over the State and are all economic and cultural dimensions that do not make any Muslim relatives wealthy.” 

Meanwhile, the Karnataka government has already directed temples coming under the Muzrai Department to mark Ugadi, the first day of the Hindu New Year, as a “Dharmika Dina” (religious day), reported The Hindu. The Minister for Muzrai Shashikala Jolle announced that “as the Religious Endowment Department in accordance with is religious background, we thought it was appropriate to celebrate Ugadi day as a religious day.” According to the directions, issued “programmes should be organised at all notified temples on that day as per Indian culture.” Such a programme should involve efforts to bring awareness among people about the “influence and benefits of the various stars”, said the minister. It has also been announced that the traditional offering of neem and jaggery will be made at the temples who have also “been told to conduct special poojas and prayers for the development of the State,” added the news report .

The food politics are not new to the state. Last year, Bangalore based iD dosa batter makers [who hail from a Muslim family] were targetted by a communal misinformation campaign and had to issue a public statement saying their idli dosa batter contained only rice, urad dal, fenugreek and RO-water. This was after a Whatsapp and social media campaign had spread the fake news that the dosa batter made and sold by iD had ‘cattle bones and calf rennet’.  

Recently, iD Foods issued advertisements in newspaper when on scanning a QRcode, a live feed of the food production line at their automated factories can be seen. It is also on their website under the page titled ‘trust factory’ 

Whoa! Really interesting effort by iD Foods – they are live-streaming from their batter factory in Bengaluru (the world’s largest batter factory, as they call it) to build trust (after relentless and persistent disinformation campaigns)! There are 8 live feeds that stay live 1/3 pic.twitter.com/zhGSJlfiGn

— Karthik ?? (@beastoftraal) March 30, 2022

Food centred communal prejudices are all a part of The Pyramid Of Hate. Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) Secretary and human rights defender Teesta Setalvad has explained how such minute biases and prejudices are a part of the climb up the pyramid of hate.

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The post ‘Halal food is economic jehad’: BJP gen sec CT Ravi cooks up fresh hate appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Many, especially those affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have seen the “desh ke gaddaro ko goli maro!” (shoot the traitors) remark by partyman Chikkamagaravalli Thimme Gowda Ravi as his reaction to the alleged “security breach” on the Prime Minister’s route in Punjab on Wednesday, December 5. The National general Secretary of the BJP is also a four-time MLA from Chikmagalur. But he is no ordinary partyman, as he is also the party appointed in charge of poll-bound Goa, apart from Maharashtra & Tamil Nadu, and has chosen to fuel various conspiracy theories now in poll-bound Punjab. 

The ‘goli maro’ slogan was first made famous by his fellow partyman Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma in January 2020, who had first used the slogan in a public meeting, “Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro s***on ko” was a virtual war cry against people protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Since then, the hateful slogan has taken a life of its own, often chanted by right-wing mobs. It was used as recently as December 2021 by right-wing groups protesting namaz by Muslims in Gurugram.

It is well documented that CT Ravi, is a regular at such hate filled speeches against minorities, he is also publicly misogynist and shares regressive opinions on women. He has become more vocal once the BJP-led government took charge at the Centre, and he too got visibility due to the controversies he generated.

CT Ravi called for the “Gujarat model” in 2014

On July 27, 2014, CT Ravi, then a member of the BJP’s national executive, and general secretary of the party’s Karnataka unit, tweeted his opinion on the communal riots of Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh saying, “Only the Gujarat model, that worked from 2002 in containing their rioting elements, can work. Apply across Bharat.” According to an Outlook report, the original tweet was deleted from his timeline. 

According to CT Ravi’s “explanation” to the media after the controversy gathered steam, his tweet referred “only to the Gujarat measures that helped stop the riots completely”. He had been at that time quoted by the New Indian Express and other publications as saying, “After the Godhra riots, no riots were reported from there. I was only suggesting similar measures be taken to contain communal violence across the country, including Saharanpur.”

Saharanpur in western Uttar Pradesh had witnessed a violent clash in 2014 between groups of Muslims and Sikhs. Three persons died and many were injured in the violence that broke out over an alleged land dispute. However, in 2020, in thanksgiving to the compassion shown by the Sikh community during the Delhi riots, the Muslim community from Saharanpur gave away their claim on the land given to them as part of settlement post Saharanpur riots. However, CT Ravi it appears is once again using communally loaded comments aimed at poll bound UP, and Punjab.

Vote for CM @myogiadityanath for a RIOTS FREE Uttar Pradesh ! pic.twitter.com/SGqkeTSg61

— C T Ravi ?? ಸಿ ಟಿ ರವಿ (@CTRavi_BJP) January 1, 2022

Ironically, it was Delhi-based lawyer Shehzad Poonawalla who was then associated with the Congress party and is now with the BJP who petitioned the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), accusing CT Ravi of “using social media to fan communal passions.” He responded to the complaint filed by Poonawalla, saying “I am ready to testify. I can’t help those who see everything with jaundiced eyes.” The two are now colleagues and CT Ravi amplifies Poonawalla’s tweets.

AAP is a SHAAP ! https://t.co/KNRqDI9Jep

— C T Ravi ?? ಸಿ ಟಿ ರವಿ (@CTRavi_BJP) December 30, 2021

Accusing Punjab CM, citizens, Congress of endangering PM’s life

CT Ravi directly accused Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi saying he “betrayed Bharata Mata to please Sonia Mata.” Punjab will soon go to polls and CT Ravi has accused the Congress of “anti-National” acts, and stated that “Indians will never forget & forgive” it. He also said, “What happened in Bathinda today is unforgivable by any stretch of imagination. Indians will never forgive those who are responsible for such a serious lapse of security.” 

“Thank your CM for allowing me to return alive to Bhatinda airport”.

This is what PM @narendramodi told the security personnel in Bhatinda airport.

CM @CHARANJITCHANNI betrayed Bharata Mata to please Sonia Mata.

Indians will never forget & forgive this heinous act by CONgress.

— C T Ravi ?? ಸಿ ಟಿ ರವಿ (@CTRavi_BJP) January 5, 2022

“Is the “secret meeting” of CONgress leader @RahulGandhi have any connection with what happened to PM Modi’s convoy in Punjab today?” he asked in another loaded Tweet.

Any doubt that the Chinese Gandhis were behind today’s incident in Punjab? pic.twitter.com/KvtKEANqiD

— C T Ravi ?? ಸಿ ಟಿ ರವಿ (@CTRavi_BJP) January 5, 2022

#DHSpeakOut | #Karnataka #CTRavi #BJP #KarnatakaPolitics pic.twitter.com/c2hZ5KgsLC

— Deccan Herald (@DeccanHerald) January 6, 2022

CT Ravi’s opinion on women is well known too

According to him “Western influence, micro families” are to blame if “modern women want to stay single”. On World Mental Health Day, Karnataka minister K Sudhakar had said, “lots of modern women in India want to stay single. Even if they get married, they don’t want to give birth. They want surrogacy. So there is a paradigm shift in our thinking, which is not good.” Sudhakar made headlines for such a misogynistic remark instantly and CT Ravi decided to add his two bits on the subject and said, “Not every woman is like this. It is happening because of western influence and micro families. In India, we still have faith in family unlike countries such as USA and UK.”

Following the flak he got K Sudhakar was forced to issue a clarification saying, “It is unfortunate that a small part of my address out of the nineteen and a half minutes long speech during the World Mental Health Day programme at NIMHANS on Sunday was taken out of context and thereby, the larger point I was trying to make at the prestigious National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences was lost.” However, it is not known if CT Ravi apologised.

Related:

BREAKING: BJP Gen Secy publicly tweets “Shoot the traitors”

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“Shoot the traitors” slogans raised in Gurugram

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Hate Watch: Communal “shoot the traitors” slogans raised against Christians in Delhi

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Pro-CAA group outside Jamia asks to ‘shoot the traitors’

The post Meet CT ‘Desh ke gaddaron ko goli maro’ Ravi, a repeat hate offender appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Chikkamagaravalli Thimme Gowda Ravi, better known on social media as CT Ravi has just given a call for violence on Twitter saying, “Desh ke gaddaro ko goli maro!” (shoot the traitors). 

Desh Ke Gaddaron Ko Goli Maro !

— C T Ravi ?? ಸಿ ಟಿ ರವಿ (@CTRavi_BJP) January 5, 2022

CT Ravi is a National General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party and is four-time legislator from Chikmagalur Constituency of Karnataka. He has been  Minister of Tourism of Karnataka (2019–2020), and Minister of Kannada and Culture of Karnataka (2019–2020). With this hate speech, he joins the ranks of his party colleagues who have used the slogan to fuel communal hate amongst the masses.

The slogan was first made famous by his fellow partyman Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma in January 2020, who had first used the slogan, “Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro s***on ko” as a virtual war cry against people protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Since then, the hateful slogan has taken a life of its own, often chanted by right-wing mobs. It was used as recently as December 2021 by right-wing groups protesting namaz by Muslims in Gurugram.

Related:

“Shoot the traitors” slogans raised in Gurugram
Hate Speech: The worst words of 2021, we hope do not spill over into 2022
Hate Watch: Communal “shoot the traitors” slogans raised against Christians in Delhi

The post BREAKING: BJP Gen Secy publicly tweets “Shoot the traitors” appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has done it again. The party has a long and despicable history of making inflammatory statements inciting against minorities, and yesterday Karnataka’s BJP Minister for Tourism, CT Ravi stooped to a new low, when he issued a warning to Congress’ UT Khader saying, “UT Khader must recall what happened in Godhra.”

https://twitter.com/dineshgrao/status/1207892344260837376

Most intimidating provocative threat issued by CT Ravi.

The police must immediately book a case against him and take him into preventive custody.

Holding a constitutional post he has no business to speak like this. pic.twitter.com/xTs52bl64y

— ದಿನೇಶ್ ಗುಂಡೂರಾವ್/ Dinesh Gundu Rao (@dineshgrao) December 20, 2019

Translated by The News Minute, what CT Ravi said was, “It’s because of their (referring to the Muslim community) mentality that they set fire in Godhra. It was their mentality that led them to burn karsevaks alive. We know this. But when it comes to reactions, we know that in Godhra, when the train was set on fire and how people were inflamed. UT Khader must know what happened when people are outraged. If he doesn’t know, then he must recall it.”

These chilling words are a bald-faced threat delivered with impunity, perhaps owing to confidence that comes with having political patronage and clout. The Godhra train-burning and the post Godhra genocide represent some of the darkest days in the history of the subcontinent, when communal violence was allowed to thrive allegedly with the full knowledge and even complicity of powerful administrators themselves. CT Ravi’s statement came after UT Khader, a legislator from Ullal in Mangaluru had sent a warning to CM BS Yeddyurappa that “Karnataka would burn” if the CAA was implemented.

In his speech on December 18, UT Khader had said, “I am giving our state’s Chief Minister some advice and a warning. If Citizenship Amendment Act is implemented in Karnataka, then the day will come when Karnataka will burn.” He was soon booked for sedition (Section 124A), promoting enmity between different groups (Section 153A) and wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riots (Section 153). A case was registered against him by Dakshina Kannada BJP Yuva Morcha’s district general secretary Sandesh Kumar Shetty.

Khader clarified that his statements were twisted out of context and that the government was trying to issue new laws to divert the attention of the people away from real issues that plagued the country.

On December 19, protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) were held in Bengaluru and Mangaluru despite the imposed Section 144. In Mangaluru, the police resorted to lathi charge on protesters who were staging their agitation outside the Mangaluru Deputy Commissioner’s office. The police also opened fire and according to hospital sources, two people died due to bullet injuries. Soon, a curfew was imposed in several parts of Mangaluru and the BJP and CT Ravi squarely blamed UT Khader and his inflammatory speech to be the reason of violence that took place there.

Minister Ravi, mentioned that the ‘majority’(Hindus) had been maintaining their peace all this while and that “the majority’s patience must not be tested.”

Congress leader and Bengaluru’s Gandhinagar MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao has termed CT Ravi’s statement to be the “most intimidating provocative threat” and has asked the police to immediately file a case against him and take him into preventive custody.

In 2002, 59 passengers had lost their lives after the Sabarmati Express was set afire next to the Godhra railway station in Gujarat. What followed was widespread riots killing more than 1,926 people.

Ravi has been a repeat hate speech offender. On December 15 he’d tweeted –

https://twitter.com/CTRavi_BJP/status/1206261378983424000

Those who want “Hinduon se Azadi” (Independence from Hindus) are most welcome to leave India.

Students should be treated as students if they respect the law. Anyone who indulges in violence and destruction of public property must be dealt in a strong manner.#CABBill2019 pic.twitter.com/etBVJjTe4E

— C T Ravi ?? ಸಿ ಟಿ ರವಿ (@CTRavi_BJP) December 15, 2019

The residents of Bengaluru urged the city police to book Ravi for making provocative statements, especially after the police had categorically asked everyone in the state to refrain from doing so.

BJP worker Kapil Mishra, who was staging a rally in support of the CAA in Delhi also openly called for violence against people protesting the CAA by asking police to “shoot the traitors”.

https://twitter.com/kapilmishra_ind/status/1208031843074760704

हम भी सड़क पर उतर चुके हैं
कोई गलतफहमी ना पाले

संसद में जीतना आता हैं तो सड़क पर भी जीतना आता हैं

दिल्ली के हजारों युवाओं के साथ आज मैं भी सड़क पर हूँ

नागरिकता कानून के समर्थन में युवाओं की शांतिपूर्ण मार्च#ISupportCAA_NRC pic.twitter.com/ecNjnZDwSf

— Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishra_IND) December 20, 2019

Meanwhile, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah has asked the government to revoke Sec 144 imposed in the state. He told reporters, “By imposing Section 144, it is nothing but an undeclared emergency. The whole issue has been taken up now to mislead the people and divert their attention from burning issues such as joblessness, economic slowdown and poverty.”

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