Ravinder Singh Negi, a BJP councillor from the 198-Vinod Nagar (East) constituency, has become a controversial figure in East Delhi, particularly in the Parpatganj area. Known for his strong Hindu nationalist views, Negi has repeatedly targeted the local Muslim community, especially Muslim shopkeepers, through actions that have created division. His behavior is becoming more radical, using politics, religion, and identity to fuel tensions in the area.

A recent viral video exposed Negi’s attempt to impose a communal divide among local vendors. In the video, he is seen speaking to Muslim shopkeepers and demanding that they display their full names on store sign boards, so that customers can easily identify who they are purchasing from. At the same time, Negi distributed saffron flags to Hindu vendors, urging them to proudly showcase their religious identity.

This isn’t the first time Negi has made waves with his controversial actions. Back during Navaratri, he raided meat shops in Delhi, forcing them to shut down. These stunts have become his trademark, each one reinforcing his radicalized views and pushing his divisive agenda further into the public eye.

Negi defends his targeting of Muslim-owned businesses by leaning on a communal narrative. He claims that Hindu customers feel deceived when they realize shops with Hindu-sounding names are actually owned by Muslims. “People in my constituency have told me that when they pay online via UPI, they see Muslim names linked to the accounts of these shops,” he told The Indian Express.

This claim doesn’t hold up to scrutiny—there are no laws in Delhi that require shopkeepers to display their names, making Negi’s demands unnecessary.

Last month, in November, Negi visited a Muslim-owned meat shop in East Delhi and demanded that the owner shut it down because of Chhat Puja, a Hindu festival. According to Negi, the shop had to close because people would be performing puja in the area, and the presence of the shop would somehow interfere with the religious observance.

In May 2024, Negi made headlines with an  inflammatory speech in East Delhi. This time, he urged women to vote in large numbers, claiming that Muslims vote in blocs. He painted the Lok Sabha elections as a fight between “Sanatan Dharam” and Muslims, stoking fears by warning, “Your homes will be distributed among Muslims.” His words weren’t just inflammatory—they were calculated to polarize voters and make the election feel like a battle for Hindu survival.

The buck doesn’t stop here. Negi was on a roll during the general election season, unleashing a barrage of hateful speeches aimed at inciting animosity against Muslims. In a video from May 21, 2024, Negi stood before a crowd in East Delhi, delivering yet another venomous tirade. He accused the INDI-Alliance of plotting to “snatch the land and property of middle-class Hindus and give it to Muslims.” Not stopping there, he made the absurd claim that Muslims would “take away all the gold from the women and hand it over to Muslims.”

In another video that came out, Negi is seen talking to a crowd, trying to paint Hindus as victims while attacking others. “Before the BJP came to power, Hindus were being oppressed,” he said. He went on to claim that in the last 10 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had worked hard for India, unlike the Congress, which, according to him, ruled for 70 years but only oppressed “Sanatani Hindus.”

As if this wasn’t inflammatory enough, Negi then turned to the crowd and posed a chilling question: “Who has more claim on Hindustan’s treasures? Hindus or Muslims?”

Negi’s hate-filled speeches have become a recurring pattern, each more incendiary than the last, designed to scapegoat Muslims.