New Delhi: After Uttar Pradesh government issued a directive for food shops on the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners' names, the opposition parties continued to attack the state government, citing discrimination on the basis of religion, while the ruling party defended itself.
Notably, amid the row in Uttar Pradesh, the Haridwar Police Administration also issued an order for restaurant owners to display names on the Kanwar Yatra route.
All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi said that it reflects the hatred towards Muslims in India.
"Fear on UP's Kanwar routes: This is The reality of hatred for Indian Muslims, credit for this visceral hatred goes to political parties, leaders of Hindutva and so-called lip servicing Secular parties," Owaisi said in a post on 'X', sharing a photo of an egg stall displaying the name of its owner.
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal also took a dig at this move asking whether the Kanwar Yatra route is the same as the journey towards 'Viksit Bharat'.
"Kanwar Yatra Route UP directs eateries including roadside carts to display the names of owners! Is this the route to a "Viksit Bharat"? Divisive agendas will only Divide the country!" Sibal said in a post on 'x'.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat also hit out at the Yogi Adityanath government over this move likening it to Nazi Germany.
"The Uttar Pradesh government is destroying the Constitution of India by issuing such orders...A whole community is being humiliated...They are trying to divide society...This type of targeting was done by Nazis in Germany...I condemn it," Karat said speaking to ANI on Saturday.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the recent government order in Uttar Pradesh that mandates shopkeepers to put up nameplates in front of their stalls stating their owner's name, saying that the ruling party will not benefit from dividing the country through such orders as it will break the nation's unity.
"Now you (BJP) are directing foodstalls to put up nameplates based on caste and religion? Do you want to divide the country? You won't profit from it. You are breaking the nation's unity," Raut said, speaking to reporters in Mumbai on Saturday. Bharatiya Janata Party MP Kangana Ranaut has questioned actor Sonu Sood's stand on the Uttar Pradesh government's directive for food shops on the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners' names.
After Sonu Sood's post stating that only "humanity" should be displayed on shop nameplates, BJP MP Kangana Ranaut questioned the actos' stand on Friday.
Sonu Sood took to X to express his views on the matter, stating, "There should be only one name plate on every shop: "HUMANITY"
Reacting to Sonu Sood's stance, Kangana Ranaut said, "Agree, Halal should be replaced with "HUMANITY."
The People's Democratic Party chief, Mehbooba Mufti, attacked the Uttar Pradesh government and said that the BJP wants to finish the rights of Muslims, Dalits and of other sections.
Addressing a press conference today, Mufti said, "Our Constitution gives equal rights and it does not discriminate against anyone. They (BJP) are violating the Constitution. Rahul Gandhi rightly said that if they cross 400 (seats in Lok Sabha elections) then they are going to destroy the Constitution. These people came down from 350 to 240 but still they did not learn the lesson."
"I think the people who voted for them in this election must have got the hint that they want to destroy the Constitution at any cost. They want to finish the rights of Muslims, Dalits and then other sections because they want to create a different system here," she added.
Samajwadi Party chief and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav also criticised the move and urged the court to take suo-motto cognizance on the matter.
Earlier, Muzaffarnagar Police said that the police have urged all the eateries to "voluntarily display" the names of their owners and employees, adding that the intention of this order is not to create any kind of "religious discrimination" but only to facilitate the devotees.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Golu Shukla from Indore-3 assembly constituency voiced his support on Saturday for the Uttar Pradesh government's order directing eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display names of their respective owners.
"We have been organizing the Baneshwari Kanwar Yatra for the last 21 years. This year, the yatra will start from Maheshwar with a 'Dugdh Abhishek' to the Narmada river on July 22, the first Monday of the Shravan month, and will continue until July 29," Shukla told ANI.
West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party Chief Sukanta Majumdar on Saturday came out in support of Uttar Pradesh government's directive for food shops on the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners' names, saying that a similar notification was issued during the Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav governments. "Opposition is misleading people and spreading lies. A similar kind of notification was issued during Mulayam Singh Yadav's government, and Akhilesh Yadav's government also issued such notifications... it's a routine exercise and not specific to the Kanwar Yatra. The law requires that names be registered, not identifying anyone by religion... Hindus who eat non-veg go to Muslim shops. In West Bengal, we go to many such shops, which are run by Muslims. The opposition is trying to divide the people and Asaduddin Owaisi is playing the role of Jinnah," Majumdar told ANI.
Haridwar District Magistrate (DM), Dhiraj Singh Garbyal, said on Saturday that the move is intended to ensure "the convenience of the public and allow people to know the details of the food outlet's owner."
Union Minister Giriraj Singh said, "This is a matter of the state government, if the state government comes up with any new rule then everyone has to obey it."
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said that this is an attempt by the BJP to create distance between people, I only ask that no matter whose nameplate it is, if he is a member of BJP, then is it appropriate or not?"
Congress leader Salman Khurshid said, "On behalf of Congress, we have said very clearly that this is wrong and the formal statement has already come from our spokesperson. But since you are asking me, I definitely say that whether it is some social work or some religious work, people of every religion gather at their respective major festivals. The civilization of our country has always been like this."
"We should enthusiastically help each other on such occasions. This is our civilization. And why we are being separated from this civilization has not been told. It has not been told that there is any restriction for anyone, when we go on such a Yatra, Kanwar Yatra, then we cannot sit or eat food at the house of a person of another religion," Khurshid added. —ANI

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