Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra upped the ante against the BJP Wednesday over allegations that some men tried to shut shops in a fish market in Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park because of its proximity to a temple.
On Tuesday, the Trinamool Congress leader alleged the men were associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party, and shared a purported video of the incident on X. The BJP denied her charges.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Moitra said Wednesday, “See the audacity of those goons in the market. We have a constitutional right. Why have those goons not been arrested? Why have the goons not been identified? Imagine if a Muslim had done this. To live in this country, will we now have to eat only dhoklas, mushrooms, makhana, and chant Jai Shree Ram thrice a day?”.
Chittaranjan Park, popularly known as C R Park, is a South Delhi neighbourhood with predominantly Bengali residents, which was set up to accommodate refugees.
In a video on X Wednesday, Moitra said, “You can see how, in broad daylight, with complete impunity and audacity, the BJP’s goons are threatening shopkeepers and telling them they can’t have their shops in CR Park… Is the BJP going to tell us what we are going to eat and where we should have our shops?”
Terrorising Hindu fishmongers into shutting legal shops next to a temple they built – BJP goons caught on video but not yet arrested. Hello @DelhiPolice – Or are we all supposed to eat dhoklas and chant Jai Shri Ram? pic.twitter.com/XKcRUEknFo
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) April 9, 2025
Calling the BJP “anti-Hindu, anti-Muslim, and anti-Constitution”, she said, “We have always maintained that the BJP isn’t for Hindus. These are Hindu shopkeepers being terrorised.”
On Tuesday, Moitra posted the purported video of two men telling the shopkeepers in the area that selling fish so close to a temple “hurts Sanatani sentiments”. He also says that as per Sanatan Dharma, any type of killing is prohibited.
A senior Delhi Police officer said the men in the video have not been identified yet. “We have not received any complaints against the men so far, but we are looking into the matter,” the officer said.
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Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva condemned the incident on Tuesday evening. In an official statement, he said, “Everyone should respect the sanctity of temples, and here at CR Park, fish market traders have always respected temples. Fish markets have been legally allotted and are needed in the area. The fish traders maintain a high level of cleanliness in the area and take regular part in the socio-religious activities of CR Park.
“The video posted on social media by Mahua Moitra seems to have been tailored by people with vested political interests to disturb community harmony in CR Park. We strongly condemn the incident and request Delhi Police to take stern action,” he added.