In Delhi, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravinder Singh Negi alias Ravi Negi warned the shopkeepers in the Patparganj area to mention their real names on the boards or banners of their shops. In a viral video, the BJP leader is seen asking a Muslim shopkeeper named Altamas Tomar to write his full name on the board to ensure that the customers are aware of who they are buying goods from.
“If you are a Muslim, then why have you written Tomar, listen to me, your name is Altamas, a Muslim name, get it written tomorrow. You are working in a Hindu colony, you should at least write your Muslim name. If you don’t write it, your shop will be closed and sealed,” Negi said.
पटपड़गंज विधानसभा में हिंदू नाम से दुकान खोली जा रही है पर उनकी असली पहचान मुस्लिम है ऐसी बहुत सारी दुकानों का हमने पर्दाफाश किया पटपड़गंज विधानसभा में थूक जेहाद बिल्कुल भी नहीं होने देंगे,#FakeName pic.twitter.com/V2Z4Iiu16L
— Ravinder Singh Negi (@ravinegi4bjp) September 30, 2024
Similarly, Negi warned another shopkeeper Mohammad Ayan who runs ‘Raval Dairy’ in Patparganj to write his real Muslim name on the shop’s nameboard. “Why are you deceiving the Hindu population? Do we have any fight with you? You have written Rawal, the name is Mohammad Ayan,” Negi said.
Taking to X, Ravinder Negi said: “Tomar Dairy in the Mandavali ward of Patparganj assembly constituency has a Hindu name but its real name is a Muslim name, and we said that you should keep your real name, why are you playing with the Hindus by keeping a Hindu name, we will not allow any such shop to run in Patparganj assembly constituency which is keeping a Hindu name but is a Muslim.”
पटपड़गंज विधानसभा के मंडावली वार्ड में तोमर डेरी हिंदू नाम रखा है पर उसका असली नाम मुस्लिम नाम है, और हमने कहा कि आप अपना असली नाम रखिए हिंदू नाम रखकर हिंदुओं के साथ क्यों खिलवाड़ कर रहे हैं पटपड़गंज विधानसभा में बिल्कुल भी इस तरह की दुकान हम नहीं चलने देंगे जो हिंदू नाम रख रहे… pic.twitter.com/TtSLNZJCV9
— Ravinder Singh Negi (@ravinegi4bjp) September 27, 2024
This comes days after the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh followed the footsteps of the Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh and issued an order related to the mandatory display of outlet owner’s details during a joint meeting with the Public Works Urban Development and Municipal Corporation, adding that every shopkeeper and street vendor has to display their identification.
This came right after the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh recently directed that the name and address of operators, proprietors, and managers should be mandatorily displayed at all food centres. CM Yogi also directed that chefs and waiters should wear masks and gloves, besides making the installation of CCTV cameras in hotels and restaurants mandatory.