Delhi: BJP renews communal identity politics, targets shopkeepers again

BJP MLA Tarvinder Marwah has demanded that shopkeepers in Delhi be directed to display names and Aadhaar details of their "real" owners at their shops to help people make "informed choices" while purchasing sacred items during Navratri.

In a letter to chief minister Rekha Gupta, the Jangpura MLA also said it was important to ensure that celebrations were conducted with mutual respect and harmony.

"I request your esteemed office to issue guidance for shopkeepers across Delhi to display nameplates in front of establishments," Marwah said in his letter dated 30 March.

The move will help people make "informed choices" while purchasing sacred items and maintaining the sanctity of their rituals, he added.

He also claimed that the demand was not against any specific group and added he had also sought instructions for displaying names in view of Eid as well.

This step will promote "transparency and communal harmony", Marwah said and added the chief minister's intervention would help ensure smooth festivities and prevent misunderstandings.

"I got complaints that shops displayed names of some different persons than the actual owner. I checked it myself and found it to be correct," the BJP MLA told PTI.

It is happening in many shops. Earlier, it was not like that and no reason behind this now is known, he added.

"The name of the real shopowner and their Aadhaar details should be prominently displayed," Marwah said.

In November 2024, a BJP councillor in Najafgarh had ordered street vendors to display their names so that any "illegal Bangladeshi" or "Rohingya" among them could be identified.