THIS BJP MLA wants meat shops in Delhi closed during Navratri. Who is he?

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Ravinder Singh Negi has demanded the closure of meat shops across the national capital during the upcoming Navratri festival. Negi said that even if the directive is not enforced across Delhi, he will try to ensure shops remain closed in his Patparganj constituency.

“After 27 years, we have a government here, and we will demand that meat shops remain closed across Delhi. Even if that doesn’t happen city-wide, I will ensure closure in my Patparganj constituency,” Negi, the BJP MLA from Patparganj seat said.

The BJP leader said that he planned to write to the District Magistrate (DM), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and Commissioner to formalise this request.

When is Navratri beginning?

The Chaitra Navratri, a significant Hindu festival dedicated to Goddess Durga, will begin on March 30 and conclude on April 6. The devotees observe a range of rituals, including fasting, prayer, meditation and attending elaborate ceremonies at temples dedicated to Goddess Durga during Chaitra Navratri. The devotees also abstain from consuming non-vegetarian food during the nine-day festival,

Negi recalled his tenure as a municipal counsellor during which he had raised the same issue. Now, as an MLA, Negi said he will push for a broader implementation of this practice,

“Even then, I demanded that at least the shops near temples should remain closed on Tuesdays and during Navratri. After my request, shops in the entire area started closing on Tuesdays,” he told PTI news agency.

The BJP leader whose feet Modi touched

Negi won the 2025 Delhi Assembly Election, defeating UPSC trainer Avadh Ojha ‘sir’ from the high-profile Patparganj seat, once represented by Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia.

In October last year, Ravinder Negi, then a municipal councillor from Vinod Nagar in the Patparganj area of East Delhi, was at the centre of controversy when he appeared in videos on social media in which he asked a shop owner to change the name of his dairy to indicate that it is run by a Muslim.

In many other videos that Negi shared on his social media handles, the BJP leader was also heard telling a shopkeeper, “Navratri is coming and to support the sentiments of Hindu customers, people should clearly specify their Muslim names on shops.”

Negi, again hogged the spotlight in January when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen touching his feet during an election rally ahead of the Delhi Elections 2025.

On March 24, Negi criticised the previous governments, claiming that they ignored Sanatanis. “The earlier governments never respected our sentiments – they only took Hindu votes. Now that we are in power, we will bring change. For at least these nine days, meat shops should remain closed,” he reiterated.

(With PTI inputs)