Why India’s Right Wing Handles On Social Media Trend #BoycottMalabarGold
In the lead-up to Dhanteras, a key Hindu festival marking the auspicious purchase of gold and silver, social media platforms -particularly X-have been ablaze with the hashtag #BoycottMalabarGold. Predominantly driven by right-wing influencers, activists, and nationalist voices from India, the campaign has garnered hundreds of thousands of posts, reflecting deep-seated frustrations over patriotism and religious identity. At the heart of this digital storm is Malabar Gold and Diamonds, a Kerala-based multinational jewellery giant founded by MP Ahammed, which has found itself accused of aligning with anti-India sentiments through its marketing choices. However, the pattern of reigniting a past debate during the Danteras and Diwali is dubious as many claimed that some right wing social media handles are pushing the conversation to benefit others or doing this after taking money from competitors.
The controversy erupted in September 2025 when a right wing handle Vijay Patel, known on X as @vijaygajera who tweets mainly in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP, highlighted Malabar Gold’s collaboration with Pakistani influencer Alishba Khalid for promoting its UK showroom. Khalid, a vocal critic of Indian military actions, had previously mocked ‘Operation Sindoor’ – a covert Indian operation targeting cross-border threats – as a “cowardly act.” This came shortly after the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed Indian lives and heightened national sensitivities. Patel’s post, which amassed over 7,000 likes and 1,300 reposts, questioned why an Indian company would partner with someone who appeared to sympathise with Pakistan, India’s long-standing rival.
Other right-wing handles swiftly amplified the narrative, framing the partnership as a betrayal of Indian soldiers and national dignity. Posts from accounts like @KreatelyMedia and @prachyam7 urged Hindus to boycott the brand, emphasising that Malabar Gold, owned by a Muslim entrepreneur from Kerala, was profiting from Hindu festivals while allegedly funnelling resources back to non-Hindu causes. “Stop buying Malabar Gold. Owned by Muslims… Sell Gold to Hindus, make money from Hindus,” read one viral post from @Warlock_Shubh, which received over 14,000 likes and 6,000 reposts. This rhetoric taps into broader right-wing concerns about economic empowerment within communities, urging Hindus to support “Hindu-owned” businesses instead. Along with these tweets, many right wing handles shared list of jewellery brands owned by Hindu businessmen and asked followers to buy only from them. This economic boycott of Muslims and their businesses has been a tool by India’s right wing forces for many years.
The boycott call isn’t new for Malabar Gold. In 2022, the brand faced similar backlash over an Akshaya Tritiya advertisement featuring actress Kareena Kapoor Khan without a bindi – a traditional Hindu forehead mark symbolising marital status and auspiciousness. Right-wing users decried it as an erasure of Hindu customs, coining the slogan “No Bindi, No Business. That campaign trended widely, with netizens accusing the company of pandering to secularism while targeting Hindu consumers.
Malabar meanwhile terminated its association with Khalid and issued denials, stating it had not appointed her as an ambassador but merely collaborated for a promotional event. However, it escalated matters by filing defamation suits against activists, including Patel, who defiantly declared he would go to jail rather than retract his claims. A court order in May 2024 had previously compelled another activist, @kajal_jaihind, to remove a post criticising the brand’s community-specific scholarships. Right-wing commentators like @ShefVaidya labelled this as “bullying” tactics by a billion-dollar firm against ordinary citizens. “Truth isn’t defamation,” echoed @karnati_srinath in a video post viewed nearly 100,000 times.
With Diwali approaching, calls to “boycott from this Diwali to the next” have proliferated, linking economic choices to cultural preservation. 1Influencers like @Hinduism_sci posed rhetorical questions: “Will your shopping help India prosper or someone else’s pocket?”
As #BoycottMalabarGold surpasses 700,000 interactions, it underscores the power of social media in shaping consumer behaviour and national discourse. For right-wing handles, it’s a clarion call against perceived anti-nationalism; for others, a divisive ploy.
Founded in 1993, Malabar Gold & Diamonds serves as the flagship enterprise of the Malabar Group, one of India’s foremost diversified business conglomerates. With an annual turnover of USD 7.36 billion, it ranks as the world’s fifth-largest jewellery retailer, renowned for its extensive presence and commitment to craftsmanship. The jeweller’s brand ambassadors are many big names including Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Anil Kapoor among others.
