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"Eat Dhoklas, Say Jai Shri Ram?”: Moitra On Row Over Popular Delhi Fish Market Next To Temple

Former Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned why the BJP was creating problems when the fish shops were allotted by the DDA and not any illegal encroachment.

CR Park Fish Market Row Edited by

A still from the viral video at the popular Delhi fish market (L) and TMC MP Mahua Moitra (R).

New Delhi: A political firestorm has erupted over a popular fish market in South Delhi’s posh Chittaranjan Park neighbourhood after a video showing some people objecting to the sale of fish next to a temple went viral.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra accused the “BJP goons” of threatening fish-eating Bengalis. The MP highlighted that Chittaranjan Park is a Bengali colony and that the Kali Temple has been built by the community.

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“In broad daylight, with complete impunity and audacity, the BJP’s goons are threatening shopkeepers and telling them that you cannot have a shop here. Is the BJP going to tell us what we’re going to eat? Where we can have legal shops? Is the BJP going to tell us that we have to eat dhoklas and say Jai Shri Ram three times a day?” she asked.

The fish stalls in Market No. 1 of Chittaranjan Park draw people from across the NCR. The Kali Temple, located right next to the shop, is as old as the market.

Slamming the saffron party’s “lame” statement condemning the incident, Moitra pointed out that had the accused been a Muslim, they would have immediately put them behind bars under non-bailable UAPA charges. She further said, “We’ve always maintained that the BJP is not for Hindus. These are Hindu shopkeepers. The BJP are anti-Muslim, they’re anti-Hindu, and they’re anti-Constitution.”

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Former Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned why the BJP was creating problems when the fish shops were allotted by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and not any illegal encroachment.

“Bengalis in CR Park are one of the most educated communities in Delhi. Their sentiments and eating habits must be respected. I am a vegetarian, and I never had problem with their eating habits, why is BJP creating problems in such a peaceful area?” asked Bharadwaj, who has represented Greater Kailash Assembly constituency, where Chittaranjan Park is located, three times.

The viral video shows a group of people telling fish sellers that the temple’s surroundings were “pure” and that serving meat next to the temple is “hurting the sentiments of Sanatanis.” Calling serving meat to the goddess “fictional”, the man in the video said that there is no proof of it in Hindu religious scriptures.

Serving meat to deities is a common practice in many temples across the country, especially in eastern India.

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The video shows the man, dressed in a saffron kurta, said the mistakes of the DDA will be “fixed”. He added, “The whole country is watching.”

When a man explained that the market’s shop owners set up the temple decades ago, one of the protestors said, “If I fight this legally, it will be a long process. The main issue is that it looks wrong next to the temple. I can’t understand this.”

Meanwhile, the BJP alleged that the video was “tailored” by Moitra and aimed at disturbing peace. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva condemned the incident and requested the Delhi Police to take stern action.

Topics
Chittaranjan Park fish market CR Park Fish Market Row mahua moitra Saurabh Bharadwaj South Delhi

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