On the evening of BJP’s historic victory a group of ruling party supporters were seen celebrating at Khan Market, the market which, in the imagination of the saffron fraternity, has come to symbolise Delhi’s liberal English-speaking elite. Among those celebrating was BJP’s general secretary Ram Madhav who later wrote this elite must be systematically “discarded”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also referred to his critics as the “Khan Market gang”.
Yet Khan Market is not a place of snobby elitists. Established as a market for Partition refugees, its shops are owned by hardworking Partition-displaced Punjabi families like the Faqir Chands, Malhotras and Rajarams. Hindu, Muslim and Sikh shopowners are the backbone of a market that has gallantly changed with the times Read More
