UP BJP MLA Suresh Tiwari tells people not to buy vegetables from Muslim vendors, claims receiving complaints of contamination by saliva

A video of BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria district, in which he is seen allegedly telling people not to buy vegetables from Muslim vendors, has been circulated widely online. Suresh Tiwari, who is the MLA from Deoria’s Barhaj constituency, was allegedly heard telling people, “Keep one thing in mind, I am telling everyone openly, no one should purchase vegetables from miyas (Muslims).”

BJP MLA Suresh Tiwari told people in Deoria district not to purchase vegetables from Muslim vendors.
"Keep one thing in mind, I am telling everyone openly, no one should purchase vegetables from Miyas [Muslims]," he is seen telling people, including govt officials. pic.twitter.com/1K8YkSFBez

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Tiwari reportedly made this statement during his visit last week to the Barhaj Nagar Palika. “After hearing the complaints that people of a community were selling vegetables after contaminating them with saliva in an attempt to spread coronavirus, I advised them to not purchase from them if they have any doubts in their minds. After the situation gets normal then decide what they want,” he told Indian Express. He additionally blamed the Tablighi Jamaat members, whose congregation in Delhi last month made Nizamuddin a hotspot of COVID-19 cases. Uttar Pradesh BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said that the party would take cognisance of the matter and question Tiwari about the circumstances in which he made the remarks. In another incident targeting a Muslim, a resident of Mumbai’s Mira Road refused to collect a grocery delivery from a delivery man because of his religion. A pregnant Muslim woman was turned away at a public hospital in Rajasthan, resulting in a miscarriage. Meanwhile, in Uttarakhand, Hindu youths forced Muslim vendors to stop selling fruits. Uttar Pradesh has so far reported 1,955 cases of the coronavirus, including 31 deaths.