New Delhi, May 18 -- In Delhi's bustling fruit bazaars, where the air is thick with the scent of ripe mangoes, crushed leaves and ambition, a quiet storm is brewing. The conflict isn't over land or language - it's over apples. Specifically, Turkish ones.

Once praised for their glossy skin and sweet crunch, Turkish apples are now at the centre of an unusual political protest unfolding across Delhi's biggest fruit markets - from the massive sprawl of Azadpur Mandi in the north to the upscale INA Market in the south. And it all began with a border - and a statement.

Earlier this year, when Turkiye publicly supported Pakistan during a fresh round of India-Pakistan tensions and even supplied drones to Islamabad, many Indians saw it as a betr...