Telugu YouTube channel targets Muslim vendors claiming ‘food jihad’

Muslim vendors selling kova buns at the Samakka Saralamma Jatara, a major tribal festival in Telangana’s Mulugu district, have been subjected to harassment by a YouTube channel that accused them of promoting so-called “food jihad”.

The channel Tejaswi News, which was created in July 2025 and has around 7.82 thousand subscribers, has published a series of videos over the past 10 days alleging that Muslim vendors were selling “adulterated” kova buns at the Jatara. In a 53-minute explainer video released on February 13, Friday, the anchor leading the coverage, Balu Balaji Goud, claimed that the festival-goers had complained to him of feeling unwell after consuming the buns sold near the venue.

Kova buns, made using sugar, milk, and kova, are a well-known and widely consumed snack across south India.

Two videos published by the channel show Balu Balaji questioning Muslim vendors at the Jatara in a hostile manner. In one video, the anchor confronts a vendor named Javed, who had travelled from Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, aggressively demanding to know why the bun packets on his cart did not carry a manufacturing date. When Javed explained that the buns were locally purchased and meant to be sold within six days, the visibly frustrated anchor ignored the response and addressed the camera instead.

“There are many Rohingya Muslims staying in the Greater Hyderabad area and we are blind to what they are involved in. Can anyone sell a kova bun for a mere Rs 10? It is disgusting to see that in Hindu festivals and processions such adulterated items are being sold,” the anchor said, adding that a police case should be filed, while continuing to question the vendor about expiry dates.

Javed can be seen pleading with the anchor, saying that he had come from Andhra Pradesh to Telangana solely for survival.

In another video, Balu Balaji is seen questioning another vendor, Shawali, also from Kurnool, again focusing on the absence of manufacturing or expiry dates on the buns. He then turns to a bystander, who claims that the kova cannot be authentic because it would not be possible to sell it at such a low price.

Surrounded by a crowd of Jatara visitors, another anchor from Tejaswi News is also seen asking Shawali to eat the bun on camera to prove that it was neither adulterated nor harmful to health.

As the videos drew criticism online, several users on social media defended the channel, arguing that the coverage was centred on food safety and adulteration, and not religion. However, across multiple videos published over the past 10 days, the anchors have repeatedly invoked “food jihad”, a narrative promoted by the Hindu right wing that falsely alleges Muslims deliberately contaminate food sold to Hindus.

In recent years, such allegations have gained traction in public discourse under the broader label of “thook (spit) jihad”, often amplified by Hindutva-aligned groups despite a lack of evidence. Viral videos alleging spitting or food tampering have sparked outrage and, in several instances, police complaints or action across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, and Kerala. A significant number of these claims have subsequently been debunked through fact-checks.

Meanwhile, amid the backlash to the communal coverage by Tejaswi News, several users on X also pointed to Balu Balaji’s seeming affinity towards Hindutva-aligned politics on social media. The anchor, who previously worked at Telugu news channel Suman TV, has multiple videos on his Instagram account showing him interacting with local leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Telangana and endorsing the party in a highlight reel. He has also posted content criticising the Congress and AIMIM in the state for not speaking out against Rohingya refugees.

Notably, the controversy around the kova buns has gained traction a week after the Dharma Rakshana Sabha, organised by an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), was held in Hyderabad’s Balapur area. While the event’s stated intent was to protect “dharma” and oppose Rohingya refugees and alleged Bangladeshi migrants, speeches at the gathering escalated from insinuations about national security and “love jihad” to direct incitement against the Muslim community. The kova bun controversy also gained support from the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) with its national spokesperson from Hyderabad dubbing those supporting the vendors, ‘Tukde Tukde gang’.

The India Hate Lab Report 2024 noted that approximately 581 (49.9%) hate speeches recorded that year referenced conspiracy theories. The most prominent among them included “love jihad,” “land jihad,” “population jihad,” and “thook jihad.”

Several activists, politicians in Telangana have criticised the coverage and slammed the anchor and Tejaswi News for its Islamophobic coverage on a non issue.

Commenting on the issue, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Paritala Sriram said that it was cruel to drag the life of a poor small trader who sells a loaf of bread onto the road like this. “Some people are doing such things for views and likes on YouTube. If possible, we should stand by the poor, but it is not right to suppress their voices like this,” he stated.

This report was republished from The News Minute as part of The News Minute-Newslaundry alliance. Read about our partnership here and become a subscriber here.