The BJP’s Thrissur district committee has urged the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to investigate the financial sources of Arabic-themed restaurants in Kerala.
Officials of the National Investigation Agency conduct searches at multiple locations in Punjab in connection with the Amritsar temple grenade attack case. | File Photo: IANS
The BJP’s Thrissur district committee has urged the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to investigate the financial sources of Arabic-themed restaurants in Kerala.
BJP Thrissur District Intellectual Cell Convener Prasidh Das on Wednesday filed a complaint with the NIA Director, seeking an investigation into the financial sources of restaurants and its alleged anti-national connections. The complaint also states that an investigation should be conducted into the hotels opened after demonetization.
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The move follows a controversy over Vishu-themed advertisements that featured images of Lord Krishna alongside non-vegetarian dishes, which the BJP claims hurt religious sentiments of the Hindus.
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The complaint states that the opening of such establishments across the state, which require a large amount of capital investment in a short period of time, is suspicious. Hence the role of foreign funds in this should be investigated. The complaint also states that it should be investigated whether these restaurants have any links with the banned Popular Front of India.
The complaint explicitly mentions eight specific restaurants or hotel chains. The petition was triggered by promotional posters from these restaurants that depicted young Lord Krishna sitting in front of a plate “Kuzhimanthi” (a meat dish), leading to police cases. Critics have condemned the move as an attempt to “communalise food” and cast unfounded suspicion on a specific business sector based on cuisine.
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