Chennai. Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat Tamil Nadu raises deep disappointment that Indian Railways is serving ‘halal tea’ to its passengers, as was revealed in a viral video.
In a statement, ABGP Southern states organising secretary M.N. Sundar said that, We object strongly because –
It is discriminatory on religious grounds. Only the followers of one specific religion require their food to be halal compliant. There is no legal, ethical, cultural, or economic reason why a massive government entity like the Indian Railways is complying with the dictates of one religion and not others in India. It hurts the sentiments of all communities except one.
It amounts to a religious fee or tax on all religions except one, as Indian Railways pays for the cost of halal-certified goods that it passes on to all its customers even though their faith does not require this practise. We object to even one paisa of ours subsidizing and enriching another faith.
It restricts employment opportunities in the halal process to followers of only one religion.
We do not know if Indian Railways serves only halal meat to its customers. If so, please note that we consider halal meat cruel as it involves cutting the throats of birds and animals and letting them slowly bleed to death.
We demand that Indian Railways, with immediate effect:
– Stop serving any halal-certified food product except to those who specifically ask for it, who should pay extra for it.
– Offer certified non-halal food to its passengers, vegetarian and non-vegetarian.
– These products should be certified Jhatka for meat and Satvik for vegetarian items.
– Publicly list all halal-certified food items served on Indian Railways.
We look forward to your public response in 30 days. Thank you for introducing the Vande Bharat trains, other improvements, and your leadership during the Balasore train crash.
