Editor Mr.Mayank Rawat ( Chief Editor Mr. Rohit Mishra )
New Delhi: BJP MLA Tarvinder Singh Marwah has written a letter to CM Rekha Gupta, requesting an official directive for shopkeepers to display their names prominently in front of their establishments during the Navratri. He said this would allow citizens to make informed choices while purchasing sacred items, thus “preserving the sanctity of their rituals and beliefs”.
The Jangpura MLA said that he had requested such a measure to foster communal harmony. This would prevent misunderstandings and contribute to a smooth festive atmosphere in the city, he said. Earlier, his colleague, MLA Ravinder Singh Negi, called for the closure of meat shops during Navratri while MLA Karnail Singh wanted the state govt to act against meat being sold illegally on footpaths and in shops during Navratri.
AAP criticised Marwah’s move, accusing BJP of believing in “naming and shaming”, the reason why it wanted meat shops to display their owners’ names. AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said, “BJP is anti-Dalit, anti-Muslim and anti-women. It targets vulnerable people but can’t shut down KFC and McDonald’s.”
The spokesperson added, “If BJP truly believes in naming and shaming, it should apply it to bank defaulters and people whose massive loans have been waived off. It deliberately creates controversies during festivals to disrupt communal harmony. Under the AAP govt, Delhi’s pollution dropped by 31%, and now BJP is spreading noise pollution.”
BJP Delhi spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor retorted AAP wasn’t ready to respect the sentiments of the majority community. “That party is deliberately engaging in debates over meat and chicken during the sacred Navratri period, only trying to appease a particular section of society,” he said.
Kapoor said AAP should understand that the reason for publicly indicating the type of meat sold at shops wasn’t about untouchability, but to clarify the method of slaughter because Muslim shopkeepers sell halal meat, which many Hindus and Sikhs do not consume. He said those AAP functionaries debating the matter should ask their own party’s CM in Punjab why the terms ‘jhatka’ or ‘halal’ are mentioned on shopboards along with the shop owner’s name throughout that state.
The BJP spokesperson added that the decision to eat me or to avoid it, and the method of consumption, was a personal choice that was, in part, tied to one’s religious beliefs. In such cases, it is the responsibility of the municipal corporation, which grants licences to sell meat, to ensure that the meat was slaughtered in the correct manner and the consumer was informed of this, he said. He claimed that if AAP visited eateries like KFC or McDonald’s, they could easily find out what type of meat was used in their establishments.
Mayank Rawat
