NDA allies back Muslim vendor, blunt right-wing ‘food jihad’ campaign in AP

Support has poured in for Muslim food vendors from Kurnool who were allegedly harassed at the Medaram Jatara in Telangana, with NDA allies — the Telugu Desam Party and the Jana Sena Party — extending public backing to the traders and, in effect, dousing the communal flare ignited by right-wing elements against the Muslim community in the Telugu states.

The controversy arose after a right-wing YouTube channel, Tejaswi News, accused the vendors of engaging in what it termed “food jihad”, alleging that the kova buns they were selling at the tribal fair were prepared with substandard ingredients and were being deliberately marketed at what it described as a ‘Hindu’ gathering.

The channel’s campaign unfolded against the backdrop of the ‘Hindu Dharma Rakshana’ conclave organised in Hyderabad’s Balapur by an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, where calls had reportedly been made for driving out Rohingya refugees, thereby sharpening communal rhetoric in the region.

Videos circulated by the channel showed its anchor, Balu Balaji, confronting Muslim vendors in an aggressive manner, questioning the absence of manufacturing dates on the home-made buns and casting suspicion on their price of Rs 10 per piece, while alleging that the food items were adulterated. In one widely shared clip, Sheikh Shah Vali, one of the vendors, was pressured to eat the bun on camera in order to demonstrate that it was not contaminated, which he did amid visible discomfort.

The footage of the confrontation went viral days later, triggering widespread condemnation on social media and drawing criticism from political leaders across party lines. As the backlash mounted, vendors Javed and Vali returned to their hometown in Andhra Pradesh, where villagers rallied behind them, and several videos highlighting the disruption to their livelihood attracted further solidarity, with individuals offering financial contributions to offset their reported losses.

Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education and Information Technology Nara Lokesh publicly expressed regret over the incident and affirmed that divisive conduct had no place in Telugu society, which he described as rooted in harmony and mutual respect, while stating that he would meet Vali and sample his kova buns in a gesture of solidarity. Naga Babu, a leader of the Jana Sena Party and brother of party chief Pawan Kalyan, also met Vali and extended financial assistance of Rs 25,000, while urging that the episode should not be viewed through a religious prism and cautioning that intimidation of small traders could create fear among ordinary citizens striving to earn a livelihood.

Andhra Pradesh Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Kondapalli Srinivas similarly underscored that every hardworking individual deserved dignity and respect, while observing that concerns relating to food safety ought to be addressed through appropriate regulatory mechanisms rather than public harassment. He emphasised that public awareness must be accompanied by sensitivity, and that compassion should prevail over sectarian considerations.

Earlier, AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi condemned the alleged targeting of Muslim vendors and called for stringent legal action against those responsible, asserting that acts of intimidation and communal profiling were unacceptable in a plural society.

With senior leaders of NDA constituent parties openly distancing themselves from the campaign and affirming support for the vendors, attempts to inflame communal sentiment over the sale of home-made kova buns at a tribal fair appear to have been decisively blunted, even as calls for accountability and restraint continue to gather momentum.