Bengaluru: Vijayapura MLA and suspended senior BJP leader Basanagouda R. Patil Yatnal has written a detailed letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding an immediate nationwide ban on halal certification agencies and halal-labelled products. Yatnal cited the example of Uttar Pradesh, where halal products have already been restricted, and urged the Centre to take similar action across India.

In his letter, Yatnal said there was an “urgent need to prohibit the operations of halal certification bodies functioning under religious pretexts.” He reminded Shah that in November 2023, he had already written to Union Minister of Consumer Affairs Piyush Goyal, raising similar concerns.

According to Yatnal, several Islamic organizations such as Halal India, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust, Global Islamic Sharia, Halal India Pvt. Ltd., Halal Certification Services India Pvt. Ltd., and Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra are involved in issuing halal certifications for meat, food products, cosmetics, and other consumer goods.

“These certifications are being promoted under the guise of religious legitimacy. The money collected through these processes is allegedly being misused to fund anti-national activities, provide legal aid to terror suspects, and propagate terrorism and jihad,” Yatnal claimed in his letter.

He further said that restaurants, hotels, abattoirs, and cosmetic companies are being pressured to obtain halal certification, which he described as “a practice inconsistent with the principles enshrined in the Indian Constitution.”

Yatnal emphasised that halal certification falls under Sharia law, which has no legal standing in India. Therefore, he argued, the certification process itself is unlawful.

“As per existing law, only the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is empowered to label or certify products. No other authority, especially one based on religion or community identity, has the right to issue such certifications. These halal certifying agencies are operating illegally and must be banned immediately,” his letter read.The MLA’s renewed push for a ban comes amid ongoing debates over the influence of religious certification in commercial sectors.

Yatnal, known for his outspoken views, has earlier courted controversy with his remarks about madrassas and alleged “anti-national teachings.”His latest appeal to Amit Shah is likely to intensify the political debate between the BJP and opposition parties, particularly in Karnataka, where communal and religious issues have often taken center stage in recent months.