The Halal Lifestyle Township controversy has raised a major political issue in Neral, Maharashtra. The advertisement of this housing project, located about 100 km from Mumbai, became the cause of sharp reactions and protests as soon as it came on social media. The project was described as “Halal Lifestyle Township” in the advertisement, which was accused of promoting on religious grounds. After heavy opposition, the builder removed this advertisement from the social media platform.
The controversy grew further when former National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairman Priyank Kanoongo shared this advertisement on his X handle and wrote with it, “Nation Within The Nation”. He also informed the Maharashtra government about the notice issued on this matter. After this tweet by Kanoongo, the matter started taking a political color rapidly.
Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) spokesperson Krishna Hedge objected to the advertisement and raised the question what is the purpose of such marketing. He said that this video should be withdrawn immediately and the state government should investigate this strategy of the builders. Hedge said that in a state like Maharashtra, the promotion of such projects on religious grounds can create division in the society.
Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Ajit Chavan directly termed this project as a conspiracy of “Ghazwa-e-Hind”. He alleged that this scheme is an attempt to challenge the constitution of not only Maharashtra but the entire country. Chavan said that there can be no place for such initiatives in Mumbai and Maharashtra. He demanded that strict action should be taken against the builders so that such attempts can be stopped in future.
Halal Lifestyle Township,What was the advertisement?
In this controversial video, a woman wearing a hijab is seen, who describes this project as suitable for “authentic community living”. She says that this township is for families who share the same values and lifestyle. The advertisement also stated that space for namaz and community events will be available at “walking distance” in Halal Lifestyle Township. This style of promotion made it a project being sold on religious grounds and caused controversy.
Reacting to the matter, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, National President of All India Muslim Jamaat, also strongly objected to the advertisement and the use of the word “Halal”. He said, “By using such a name and the word Halal, an attempt is being made to send out a particular kind of message. The builders and people involved in this are not working to unite society, but rather to spread hatred and create division.”
Maulana Razvi Barelvi said that promoting any residential project in this way can become a means of spreading hatred in the society. He also said that builders should work towards uniting the society, and not try to divide it on religious grounds.
Even after the removal of the advertisement, this issue has not stopped. Political parties have made it their weapon and now pressure is mounting on the state government to conduct a serious investigation into the whole matter. The question is also being raised whether such “community-specific housing projects” should be allowed in a pluralistic and constitutional democracy like India.
The Halal Lifestyle Township controversy has become a topic of discussion not only in Maharashtra but also nationally. On one hand, while political parties are calling it an attempt to create “religion-based division”, Muslim organizations are also calling the use of the word “Halal” as spreading hatred in the society. In the coming days, it will be important to see what stand the government takes on this controversy and whether legal action is taken against the builders.
