New Delhi: Hindutva groups, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), have initiated a campaign on social media advocating for a boycott of Muslim businesses. The campaign encourages Hindus to make purchases exclusively within their community.

According to Kashmir Media Service, this initiative revolves around the slogan “Apna Tyohar, Apna Vyapar” (“Our festival, our business”), and seeks to legitimize an economic boycott of Muslims and non-Hindu communities in the lead-up to the Hindu festival of Diwali. The campaign has gained visibility through billboards in Madhya Pradesh, urging Hindus to support local vendors and purchase commodities only from their own community.

Deepak Baniwal, associated with the BJP’s IT cell in Kannod town of Madhya Pradesh, has endorsed the campaign, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing purchases from Hindus. Social media influencers who support Hindutva ideology are actively promoting this initiative by sharing digital posters with the slogan “our festival, our business.”

In addition, Navneet Sharma, identified as the leader of the Bajrang Dal in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, has urged Hindus to buy commodities from a preferred group, regardless of cost, to avoid purchasing from what he described as the wrong place.

In Uttarakhand, Raju Rawat, a local Hindutva leader, has taken steps to identify Hindu vegetable vendors using signboards, encouraging consumers to buy exclusively from these stalls for “purity.” This move aims to distinguish Hindu vendors from others in the marketplace.

The campaign has also influenced social media behavior, as many Facebook users have altered their profile pictures to reflect the campaign slogan. One user, Suresh Meda, has called on Hindus to support those who “light up lamps” as opposed to those who harm the country.

This campaign demonstrates the ongoing efforts by Hindutva organizations to economically isolate Muslims in India.