BJP MLA Suresh Tiwari has reportedly asked people in Deoria district not to purchase vegetables from Muslim vendors.

The legislator from the district’s Barhaj constituency was heard making the remarks in a video doing the rounds on social media. “Keep one thing in mind, I am telling everyone openly, no one should purchase vegetables from Muslims,” he told some people, including government officials.

When contacted, Tiwari said he had made the statement last week during his visit to the office of the Barhaj Nagar Palika, where several government officials were present.

“After hearing complaints that people of a community were selling vegetables after contaminating them with saliva in an attempt to spread coronavirus disease, I advised them not to purchase vegetables from them… After the situation gets normal, then decide what they want,” said the MLA.

The legislator claimed he had only given his opinion, and it was up to people to decide if they wanted to follow it. “Everyone can see what Jamaat members have done in the country,” Tiwari said, referring to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi last month.