Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 19: Even as the controversial directive of the Muzaffarnagar police to all eateries on the “Kanwar Yatra” route to prominently display the names of the owners, apparently to show their religious identity, was expanded to other parts of Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring Uttarakhand ignoring the opposition from NDA allies, the BJP’s Minority Morcha chief Jamal Siddiqui supported the order for the sake of clarity.
The order issued by the Muzaffarnagar police earlier this week to all eateries on the route of “Kanwar Yatra,” the devotees of Lord Shiva, going to Haridwar, to display the names of the owners to avoid any confusion of the Kanwariyas consume food or water from Muslim shops during the holy month of “Shravana,” was strongly criticised of practicing “Apartheid.”
However, the UP government on Friday extended the controversial order across the state and the Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said similar instructions are already in place in his state.
The order issued by the Muzaffarnagar police earlier this week has been slammed by Opposition parties and some members of the ruling alliance, who say it targets Muslim traders. But an Uttar Pradesh government spokesperson said on Friday that a formal order for all eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route in the state was likely to be issued soon.
In Dehradun, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the decision was taken on July 12 at a meeting to review the preparations for the Kanwar Yatra. As in Muzaffarnagar, hotels, dhabas and roadside eateries along the yatra route in Uttarakhand have been asked to display their owners’ names, addresses and mobile phone numbers.
The Uttarakhand decision would mostly cover Haridwar but some ‘kanwariyas’ also visit Rishikesh, Neelkanth and Gangotri as part of the yatra which begins on July 22.
Dhami said the purpose of the decision was not to target or put anyone in trouble. “Why should anyone have any problem in introducing themselves,” he asked There have been criminal incidents at Har ki Pauri in Haridwar in the past when tension broke out over some hotel and dhaba operators hiding their true identities, Dhami said, adding that the decision was taken to prevent such situations.
Inspector General of Garhwal K S Nagnygal said the decision was taken to maintain social harmony during the Kanwar yatra. Senior BJP leader and former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat justified the move, saying it would help the Shiva devotees choose where they want to eat.
The Muzaffarnagar police advisory drew criticised from several quarters including from the NDA partners of the BJP at the centre. Union minister and BJP ally Chirag Paswan unequivocally opposed it and said he would “absolutely … never support or encourage” any divide in the name of caste or religion.
Another BJP ally, the Janata Dal (United), also criticised the advisory. Party leader KC Tyagi said the advisory should be withdrawn as it may cause communal tension and there should be no discrimination based on religion or caste. The Congress has alleged that the directive was intended to normalise the economic boycott of Muslims. Its spokesperson Pawan Khera called the order “state-sponsored bigotry.” AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi compared the Muzaffarnagar police advisory to the Apartheid and Judenboykott, the boycott of Jewish businesses in Hitler’s Germany.
The BJP, which is in power at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh, however, defended the measure, claiming that it gives fasting Hindus a choice should they want to eat at a pure-vegetarian restaurant where the likelihood of them being served ‘satvik’ food is higher.
But senior BJP leader and former Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi expressed apprehension that it might spread the “disease of untouchability.” Both Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati hit out at the Muzaffarnagar police advisory. Yadav dubbed it a “social crime” and appealed to courts to take suo motu cognisance of the matter.
Senior Congress leader in Uttarakhand Harish Rawat said the decision taken by the Uttar Pradesh and the Uttarakhand governments was unfortunate and painful. “It will foment animosity between communities and bring disrepute to the country,” he said.
In Uttar Pradesh, the Muzaffarnagar police said earlier this week that its advisory to the eateries to display their owners’ names was aimed at avoiding any “confusion.” “This has been done to ensure that there is no confusion among kanwariyas and no law-and-order situation arises. All are following this voluntarily,” district police chief Abhishek Singh told reporters then.
Justifying the move, V K Mishra, in-charge of the weights and measures department of Meerut, said Friday that as per the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, every restaurant and dhaba ‘sanchalak’ needed to display the name of the firm, the owner’s name and the licence number.
The BJP minority morcha chief, however, did not find any fault with the Uttar Pradesh administration’s orders asking for “clear identification” of businesses along the Kanwar Yatra pilgrimage route. “The order only means there is no need to hide, to change one’s name to do business. I am Jamal, I should not do business under the name of Jairam,” he said. When questioned over the bothering of minorities that this was engendering and the possible encouragement to boycott minority-run businesses, he said there should be “no encroachment in religious places.”
Describing himself as a “Swayamsewak from Nagpur” (a member of the RSS), and that he too had served Kanwars on their yatra, he said in his real estate business, he had set up many buildings under Islamic names. “I have named buildings after my mother, why shouldn’t I, why should I name my businesses to hide the truth?” he said.
Mr Siddiqui, however, strongly criticised the West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari who had on Thursday suggested the party to abandon the minority morcha and drop the “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” slogan hitting out at the Muslims that they did not vote for the saffron party in the Lok Sabha elections.
“I clearly feel, as does every BJP worker, that the party is not there just for power, we follow the Antyodaya principle [uplift of the poorest] articulated by Deen Dayal Upadhyaya. Thus, Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas is the soul of the BJP. Agar aatma nikal jayegi toh shareer kis kaam ka? (if the soul dies then what use is the body?). Hence, what Suvendu Adhikari has said is against the ideology of the BJP. People are considered voters only till the elections are on, after that our services are for everyone,” he said.