BJP MLA Tarvinder Marwah has demanded that shopkeepers in Delhi be directed to display names and Aadhaar details of their “real” owners at their shops to help people make “informed choices”, while purchasing sacred items during Navratri.

In a letter to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the Jangpura MLA also said it was important to ensure that the celebrations were conducted with mutual respect and harmony. “I request your esteemed office to issue guidance for shopkeepers across Delhi to display name plates in front of establishments,” Marwah said in his letter dated March 30.

The move will help people make “informed choices” while purchasing sacred items and maintaining sanctity of their rituals, he added. He also claimed that the demand was not against any specific group and added he had also sought instructions for displaying names in view of Eid as well.

This step will promote “transparency and communal harmony”, Marwah said and added the Chief Minister’s intervention would help ensure smooth festivities and prevent misunderstandings.

“I got complaints that shops displayed names of some different persons than the actual owner. I checked it myself and found it to be correct,” the BJP MLA said.

“It is happening in many shops. Earlier, it was not like that and no reason behind this now is unknown,” he added.

“The name of the real shop owner and their Aadhaar details should be prominently displayed,” Marwah said. Last November, a BJP councillor in Najafgarh had ordered street vendors to display their names so that any illegal Bangladeshi or Rohingya among them could be identified.

Last year, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had issued a series of directions, including mandatory display of name and address of operators, proprietors and managers at eateries across the state. The Yogi Adityanath Government had instructed the launch of a statewide campaign to inspect all such eateries and carry out police verification of their employees.