'Will BJP tell us to eat dhoklas and chant Jai Shree Ram?' Mahua Moitra on threats to Delhi C R Park fish-sellers

New Delhi: The Delhi Police will launch an investigation after TMC MP Mahua Moitra claimed on Tuesday that a few people, allegedly belonging to right-wing ideology, forcibly tried to close fish shops in South Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park area.

Sources in the force said they have not received any complaint about the matter, but they are verifying all the facts from the social media post.

“The market is a licensed market according to MCD records. The video appears to be outdated, but we are verifying the date of the incident. The police have not received any complaint so far,” said a police source.

In a series of social media posts on X, Moitra posted a video with the caption, “Please watch as saffron brigade BJP goons threaten fish-eating Bengalis of Chittaranjan Park, Delhi. Never in 60 years has this happened, residents say.”

In another post, the TMC MP said, “The temple in CR Park that BJP goons are laying claim to was built by the non-veg market vendors. They pray there - the big pujas are held there. Three months of BJP rule in Delhi. A good anniversary present.”

In her third post, she claimed, “WhatsApp message from a Bengali who lives near CR Park saying how terrible the situation is with the forcible closure of meat and fish shops.”

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva, in a statement, said that everyone should respect the sanctity of temples, and that the fish market traders in CR Park have always respected the temples.

In another video she said, “Everybody has seen the horrifying visuals of BJP goons threatening the Bengali shopkeepers of Chittaranjan Park in the heart of Delhi. It is a Bengali colony and they are proud fish-eating people. This particular temple has been built particularly by shopkeepers and business communities of CR Park. You can see in broad daylight the BJP goons are threatening shopkeepers and telling them that they can’t run shops here. Is BJP going to tell us what we will eat? Are they going to tell us that we have to eat dhoklas and say ‘Jai Shree Ram’ three times a day? BJP is anti-Muslim, anti-Hindu and, anti-constitutional.”

“The fish markets have been legally allotted and are a necessity in the area. The fish traders maintain a high level of cleanliness in the area and regularly participate in the socio-religious activities of CR Park,” Sachdeva said in the statement.

The video posted on social media by Mahua Moitra seems to have been tailored by people with vested political interest to disturb community harmony in CR Park, it read.

“We strongly condemn the incident and request the Delhi Police to take stern action,” the statement concluded.