Karnataka: Muslim traders flag rising inflation, call for united secular front against BJP in upcoming assembly polls

Hawkers, auto-rickshaw drivers, and other street vendors said that they are in dire straits due to the “anti-people policies” of the ruling BJP government in Karnataka.

Mysore: Ahead of the Karnataka assembly election scheduled next year, Muslim traders in Mysore have called for a united secular front against the BJP. In a special conversation with ETV Bharat, the Muslim vendors said that they are suffering from rising inflation, especially after the pandemic.

Hawkers, auto-rickshaw drivers, and other street vendors said that they are in dire straits due to the “anti-people policies” of the ruling BJP government in Karnataka. A vegetable vendor said that every community was bearing the brunt of inflation in the southern state.

"Before COVID, I was in the furniture business but am forced to sell vegetables now," said a local. Another Muslim vendor said that BJP is “creating problems for us”. “To add to it, the party is dividing Muslim votes by fielding proxy candidates,” he said. The Muslim traders called for a united secular front against the BJP “so that a pro-people leadership can be established in the state". Political parties in the state are gearing up for the assembly elections scheduled in early 2023.