At a time when azaan, halal and many other Islamic traditions along with Muslim traders are facing a pushback in several states in India, a viral video showing an incensed exchange between a TV reporter and a Haldiram's outlet manager has now sparked off a debate on Urdu on social media platforms.
In the video, a reporter from Sudarshan TV which has gained infamy for its instigating 'UPSC Jihad' show, is seen charging questions at a Haldiram store manager about 'Arabic script' on the back of a product's packet.
Claiming that the information about the 'Falhari Mixture' snack are printed in Urdu, the reporter repeatedly heckles the store manager, "What are you trying to hide? Why is some information written in Urdu?"
She also went onto a tirade about how the "Urdu script" on the packaging "betrayed Hindus who fast during Navratri."
What drew the store manager some praise on social media, is her response to the TV reporter. "I don't owe you an explanation. You can do whatever ma'am, Haldiram's will not entertain such tantrums," she is heard saying in the video.
She also goes on to tell the reporter that information about the product is written in three languages based on the communities of customers they get — English, Hindi and Urdu. "Why are you not reading the language that you know? Instead, why are you charging about Urdu?"
As the viral video surfaced on social media platforms, people started pointing out how Islamophobia in the country is increasingly getting out of control in the name of "anti-Hindu conspiracy".
In a separate video, Suresh Chavanke, the Editor in Chief of Sudharshan News also hinted at a conspiracy. He claimed, "This is a snack for those who are fasting. But the description is printed in Urdu. So what does Haldiram want to hide? Is the food made in animal oil?"
"Hindus who are fasting can't read this language and those who can read it are not the ones who are fasting. But interestingly, the Aloo Bhujia and the Salted Peanut packets don't have Urdu text."
Chavanke's 'UPSC Jihad' show which claimed to expose a conspiracy of an infiltration of Muslims in civil services, was earlier termed as 'rabid' and 'insidious' by the Supreme Court.
Chavanke was also alleged of “administering an oath” to a group of people to “die for and kill” to make India a “Hindu Rashtra” or a “Hindu Nation” in Delhi according to a complaint.
While many called for the boycotting of Haldiram's, this won't be the first tirade against Urdu language.
Earlier, Fabindia faced a lot of flak from far-right wing supporters over their Diwali collection — 'Jashn e Riwaaz'. The company was forced to remove its ads and said that its festive collection would be released under the name 'Jhilmil si Diwali'.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)