Alt News co-founder and so-called fact-checker Mohammed Zubair has now descended to spreading completely fake news, intensifying attack on attack on BJP days before the Lok Sabha elections. On 12 April, Zubair claimed on X that BJP took donations from a ‘beef export company’ through electoral bonds.
Zubair was referring to PM Modi lambasting opposition leaders for posting videos of consuming non-veg food during holy periods for Hindus, like the Saawan month and the Navratri. Addressing a rally in Jammu and Kahsmir’s Udhampur, Modi said that everyone can eat whatever they want, but the opposition leaders were posting videos of the same during Saawan and Navratri to hurt the feelings of those people who don’t consume non-vegetarian food during such periods.
Posting electoral bond data published by the State Bank of India, Zubair showed that BJP received ₹1 crore from ‘beef export company Allanasons’ in October 2019. He tweeted, “For example, In October 2019, during Navratri between September 27th and October 7th, with Dussehra falling on October 8th, A beef export company Allanasons was instructed to donate to the BJP only after Navratri and Dussehra. Hence, they purchased electoral bonds worth Rs. 1 crore on October 9th, 2019. The amount was encashed by the BJP on October 19th 2019.”
While the electoral bond data do show that Allanasons Private Ltd donated ₹1 crore to BJP and ₹2 crore to Shiv Sena, Zubair’s claim that the company exports beef is completely misleading. The use of the term beef suggests that the company exports meat from cows, which is not correct.
As per the Foreign Trade Policy, the export of Beef of cows, oxen and calf from India is not allowed. The ‘beef’ that Indian companies currently export is actually the meat of buffalo. The policy only allows the export of boneless buffalo meat.
Even the export of buffalo meat is restricted, and it is not free like the meat of sheep, goat etc. The exporter of buffalo meat must produce a certificate from the designated veterinary authority of the State certifying that the meat or offals are from buffaloes not used for breeding and milch purposes.
Buffalo meat is known by various names, like buffalo beef, red beef, buff, carabeef etc, and the word beef means meat of cattle. But Zubair mischievously used the word beef, to suggest that the BJP received a donation from a company that exports cow meat.
The website of Allanasons clearly mentions that it exports boneless buffalo meat, and it does not use the term beef. It says, “Allana is the World’s Largest Producer and Exporter of Frozen Halal Boneless Buffalo Meat dominating the buffalo meat export market in India.” Throughout the entire website, they used the term ‘buffalo meat’ only, to remove any ambiguity and also to be compliant with the wordings of the Foreign Trade Policy.
Therefore, it is a completely fake claim that the BJP received a donation from a beef exporting company. The export of beef from India is not allowed, and the company mentioned by Zubair exports buffalo meat, not beef. While he did use an emoji of buffalo, he said ‘beef’ in the tweet, which means the ‘fact-checker’ was spreading fake news.
