Surat Fish Market Signboard Covered Amid Row Over Naming After PM Modi

Surat: A signboard naming Surat’s newly built wholesale fish market after Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been covered with a white cloth following objections over its installation without formal civic approval.

The ₹3.9-crore Nanpura-Lakkadkot market was inaugurated with a prominent signboard identifying it as the ‘Shree Narendra Modi Wholesale Fish Market’. The naming triggered opposition, with critics questioning the use of the Prime Minister’s name without a formal resolution of the Surat Municipal Corporation.

The Kahar-Maachi community and other local representatives objected to the naming, saying due procedure had not been followed. Some also questioned the decision to associate Prime Minister Modi, who follows a vegetarian lifestyle, with a wholesale fish market.

The controversy also drew comments from AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, who questioned what he described as double standards over restrictions and sensitivities surrounding meat consumption. Referring to the Surat fish market, reportedly built with government funding and named after PM Modi, Owaisi also raised the issue of India’s beef exports.

Following the backlash, civic officials inspected the site, and the market association agreed to cover the signboard. The white cloth will remain until the proposed name is formally considered by the municipal corporation.

Market association president Kalpesh Navsariwala said a formal request has now been submitted to the chairman of the municipal standing committee, seeking approval to name the facility after PM Modi.

The association has defended the proposal by citing the Centre’s initiatives for the fisheries sector, particularly the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana. It said the name was intended as a tribute to the Prime Minister’s contribution to the fishing community. DeshGujarat