AIMIM's Shoaib Jamai Triggers Controversy, Asks Muslim Traders To Boycott Himachal Apples

(MENAFN- Live Mint) AIMIM leader Shoaib Jamai has triggered another controversy when he asked Muslim traders to boycott apples from Himachal Pradesh.

In a post on social media platform X, Shoaib Jamai said: "Enough is enough, now we should start an economic boycott. I appeal to Muslim traders, who are about 80 per cent, to boycott Himachal apples. For God's sake don't purchase anything from this market of hatred."

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Later, the AIMIM leader deleted the post.

During winters, we will not purchase anything from them and the secular society of the entire country would have to come together to defeat this hatred, Jamai added.

He also asked the government to check the Aadhaar cards of all the Himachalis coming to Delhi.

In a reaction to Jamai's comments, Himachal BJP spokesperson Chetan Bragata in a statement said the apple growers will not be bullied by his threats and his appeal to a particular community not to purchase Himachal apples was unfortunate.

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Later, the AIMIM leader deleted the post.

During winters, we will not purchase anything from them and the secular society of the entire country would have to come together to defeat this hatred, Jamai added.

He also asked the government to check the Aadhaar cards of all the Himachalis coming to Delhi.

In a reaction to Jamai's comments, Himachal BJP spokesperson Chetan Bragata in a statement said the apple growers will not be bullied by his threats and his appeal to a particular community not to purchase Himachal apples was unfortunate.

Bragata said apple cultivation is an ancestral vocation of Himachalis and they are capable of running and handling it and creating their own market.

The BJP leader urged Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to take cognizance of Jamai's utterances and initiate legal action against him.

In another post on X, Jamai expressed regret over his appeal, saying he got "emotionally carried away".

"No hatred for any community. Absolutely not. I always believe in the secular fabric of the society. Whole Bharat is one. Love all. Previous Tweet was misinterpreted," he wrote.

Further, he said in connection with the legal process to save the Sanjauli mosque from demolition, he had met some Muslim traders there and just "wanted to echo their voice when they felt alone".

In September also, he had kicked up a row after he made a video from the disputed Sanjauli mosque in Shimla, and had said that he would file a PIL seeking why other buildings in the vicinity with more than four storeys are not considered illegal.

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