AHMEDABAD: The political controversy over naming a Rs 3.90-crore wholesale fish market after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat’s Surat City has taken a fresh twist.
While the installation of the board triggered a storm over alleged lack of official approval, its sudden covering has reignited questions over who authorised the naming in the first place.
The row centres on the newly built wholesale fish market at Nanpura-Lakkadkot, where a prominent board reading ‘Shree Narendra Modi Wholesale Fish Market’ was installed at the main entrance.
However, the naming allegedly came without a formal resolution from the Surat Municipal Corporation’s General Board or the Cultural Committee, setting off a major political and civic controversy.
As the issue surfaced in the media, pressure mounted on the municipal administration and local political circles. Opposition voices and members of the local fishing community questioned the process behind installing the Prime Minister’s name on the market, particularly when no formal civic approval or official inauguration had reportedly taken place.
The controversy intensified further as critics questioned the decision to link the name of Prime Minister Modi, known for his vegetarian lifestyle, with a wholesale fish market.
Amid the growing backlash and warnings of action from the municipal authorities, the controversial name was eventually hidden behind a white covering.
However, rather than ending the row, the move has opened a new chapter in the controversy. The sudden covering of the board has now raised fresh questions over whether the naming was premature and whether the association acted before completing the mandatory civic process.
Association president Kalpesh Navsariwala said the decision to cover the board was temporary and followed discussions with the local corporator.
“After the dispute, we discussed the matter with the local corporator, and have written to the municipal corporation seeking official approval. The board has been covered with a white cloth until a legal resolution is passed by the municipality. Municipal officials also visited the spot, and the covering work was carried out in their presence,” Navsariwala said.
Meanwhile, the association has formally escalated its push to retain the Prime Minister’s name. Navsariwala has submitted a written representation to the Chairman of the Surat Municipal Corporation’s Standing Committee, seeking official approval to name the new Lakkadkot Machhiwad wholesale fish market ‘Shri Narendra Modi Wholesale Fish Market’.
In its representation, the association has linked the proposed naming to the Prime Minister’s initiatives for the fishing sector. It stated that the Centre launched the Rs 20,000-crore Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) to strengthen the fisheries sector and improve the livelihood of fishing communities.
The association also claimed that Rs 3 crore in central assistance was allocated for the construction of the market. According to the association, the new facility has given fish traders and fishermen a more organised workplace and freed them from conducting business in unhygienic roadside conditions.
It has, therefore, urged the civic body to pass a formal resolution, arguing that naming the market after Prime Minister Modi would recognise his contribution towards the welfare and development of the fishing community.
With the association seeking official clearance and the civic body yet to settle the naming issue, the ‘Modi Fish Market’ row is far from over.