Newly-elected BJP MLA from Jaipur’s Hawa Mahal, Balmukund Acharya immediately got into action following his victory. A video of the BJP MLA went viral on 4th December where the priest-turned-politician can be seen ordering a government official to shut down illegal non-veg shops in the Chandi Ki Taksal area in Jaipur.
The MLA can be heard telling the official on call, “Kindly shut down all illegal non-veg shops running on the roads in the Chandi Ki Taksal area. Check their license. I will take a report from you in the evening, will you send me the report or should I come to collect it? Can non-veg be sold in the road in the open? Do you support them? Non-veg stalls on the road should not be seen anymore with immediate effect. I will take a report from you in the evening, I will not see who the official is.”
No sooner did Balmukund Acharya received praise from netizens supporting his action, the mainstream media and left liberals alike began to manufacture a narrative showing the MLA in bad light.
Responding to News18, the BJP MLA said that he did not go to the area to shut down non-veg shops but to shut down illegal slaughterhouses being run on the roads and non-veg being cooked on the roads illegally. “Ask them for the license. Many of them are Bangladeshis and not from here, investigate them,” he said.
Balmukund added that he has received complaints of “white meat that is cow meat being sold”. “We have received complaints that they are selling white meat meaning cow meat. Fourth, they are encroaching on the roads.”
Balmukund Acharya said that there are only 117 licenses and more than 1500 slaughterhouses are being run. The BJP MLA did not mince his words when he said that such shops and practices have hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus while such shops have also become health hazards.
He said, “This city is Apra Kashi, not Karachi. We will now allow such situations to build here. This is a hub of tourists and pictures of Jaipur go around the world, they have finished tourism here too.” In another video, the BJP MLA is seen speaking to a cop while asking them to inquire a shop owner about his license.
The MLA can be seen asking all meat shop owners in the area to show their license as a huge crowd of supportings followed him. Meanwhile, the police has sought from him a time of two days to take action.
All Hindus pl support Acharya Balmukund (BJP MLA, Jaipur), He is under social media attack by Islamist Leftist lobby
— STAR Boy TARUN (@Starboy2079) December 4, 2023
Hawamahal area of Jaipur is a major destination for tourists, shopping, temples. It has 40% peaceful population
Peaceful have opened illegal shops of meat n… pic.twitter.com/4dINcNGyiN
In another video, the MLA can be heard saying that he will not let any Rohingya or illegal Bangladeshi live in Jaipur. He was also heard asking an official to check the license of a hotel named ‘Afghani Darbar’.
OpIndia Hindi spoke to Tahir, the owner of the hotel. This hotel selling chicken meat is at Subhash Chowk in Jaipur. While talking to our team, Tahir confessed that he currently does not have a valid license to run a hotel. Tahir said that he has applied for the license. The owner of ‘Afghan Darbar’ also told us that MLA Balmukund did not assault him in any way as was being alleged by some.
The prompt action by saffron-clad Balmukund Acharya has hurt not only illegal meat shop owners but also left liberal Islamists. Even as the BJP MLA multiple times said that he is after illegally-run meat shops, certain mainstream media and Islamists began to mislead.
RJ Sayema took to X, formerly Twitter, calling the action by the BJP MLA as “moral policing”. A self-proclaimed research group on X, called “Hindutva Watch”, alleged that the MLA along with his “far-right supporters targeted Muslim-owned restaurants”.
Welcome to moral policing most illegally. https://t.co/AKCnrSuMJi
— Sayema (@_sayema) December 4, 2023
President of Indian Youth Congress, Srinivas BV in a sarcastic post wrote, “This is Modi’s guarantee. Rajasthan has chosen him.”
ये मोदी की गारंटी है, इन्हें राजस्थान ने चुना है.. pic.twitter.com/rfs74lVMEC
— Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) December 4, 2023
A so-called political commentator on X named Harun Khan went to the extent of alleging that “Balmukund Acharya abused and threatened Muslims for closing the meat shop”.
1- Newly elected BJP MLA Balmukund Acharya abused and threatened Muslims for closing the meat shop.
— هارون خان (@iamharunkhan) December 4, 2023
2- Gujarat High Court reprimanded the ban on non-veg and said, "You do not like non-vegetarian food, this is your viewpoint."https://t.co/ODqwMJvX53 pic.twitter.com/8fPk1cvUHL
India Today too shared the news on X saying that the BJP MLA ordered the shutting down of “all meat shops” in the area.
BJP MLA Balmukund Acharya, who won the Hawa Mahal seat in Jaipur, swung into action soon after the results were out and ordered to shut down all the non-veg food stalls on the streets in the area.
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) December 4, 2023
What do you think of this order?https://t.co/vRmMwzXixI
Another Islamist named Md Asif Khan, on X, falsely alleged that Muslim-owned non-veg hotels were being targeted.
This is from Jaipur, Rajasthan.
— Md Asif Khan (@imMAK02) December 4, 2023
Newly elected BJP MLA Balmukund Acharya and his supporters targeted Muslim owned non-veg hotels. pic.twitter.com/Wp3jp45V5b
Wasim Akram Tyagi shared a video of the BJP MLA inspecting the illegal meat shops and alleged that the leader was targeting and abusing Muslims. However, the video shows that it was not the BJP MLA but someone from the crowd who had hurled abuses.
बालमुकुंदचार्य अपने साथ गुंडे लेकर मुसलमानों की दुकान बंद कराने पहुंचा था। ये गुंडे मुसलमानों को भद्दी गालियां दे रहे हैं। @narendramodi जी यही थी आपकी गारंटी? @PoliceRajasthan इन गुंडों पर अगर अभी कार्रावाई नहीं हुई तो कल ये आपके लिए ही नासूर बन जाएंगे।pic.twitter.com/vhJKtvMUkg
— Wasim Akram Tyagi (@WasimAkramTyagi) December 4, 2023
Moreover, speaking about a case of temple destruction in the city, the BJP MLA said that he will work towards the restoration of all temples. The BJP MLA won from the Hawal Mahal seat in Jaipur defeating Congress candidate RR Tiwari.
