'Shree Narendra Modi Wholesale Fish Market': Surat Fish Market Named After PM Without Civic Body Nod

Surat: A controversy has erupted over a newly built fish market in Gujarat s Surat being named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with a section of traders objecting to the move, while the local civic body clarified that the official naming process of the complex was yet to be completed.

A large board reading Shree Narendra Modi Wholesale Fish Market , with PM s photo in a corner of the hoarding, was installed at the entrance of the market, built by the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), at Lakkadkot in the Nanpura area of the Gujarat city, triggering opposition from a section of traders.

Surendra Lashkari, a fish trader, objected to the name, saying the Prime Minister was a vegetarian and therefore his name should not be associated with a fish market. Narendra Modi has never consumed seafood in his life and is a pure vegetarian. Because Modi is a vegetarian, this board should not be put up, Lashkari insisted.

However, Kalpesh Navsariwala, president of The Surat Fish Merchant Association (SFMA), defended the move, claiming the association had independently passed a resolution to name the market after Modi. The board also carries the name of the fish merchant association.