Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that nameplates will have to be put on eateries on Kanwar Yatra route across the state. The order comes a day after Opposition slammed a similar notice by the Muzaffarnagar Police, calling it a "social crime".
The decision was taken to maintain the purity of the faith of Kanwar pilgrims, Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said on Friday, adding that action will also be taken against those selling products with Halal certification.
A political row erupted on Thursday after Muzaffarnagar Police ordered all eateries and carts selling edibles to display their names to avoid any "confusion". Muzaffarnagar Police chief Abhishek Singh earlier on Monday said, "Preparations of Sawan month have started in the district. About 240 km of Kanwar Yatra route falls in the district. All the eateries, including hotels, dhabas and carts, on the route have been asked to display the names of their proprietors or those working on these shops."
"This has been done to ensure that there should be no confusion among kanwariyas and no law and order situation arises. All are following this voluntarily," he told reporters.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said Thursday the Muzaffarnagar police order is a "social crime", and appealed to courts to take suo motu cognisance of the matter.
Reacting to a news article on the order, Yadav, a former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, wrote on 'X', "... And what if the name of the owner is Guddu, Munna, Chhotu or Fatte? What can you find out from these names?"
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati also hit out at the order and asked for it to be withdrawn.
The BJP defended the Muzaffarnagar Police order, saying it allows fasting Hindus who may want to eat at a pure veg restaurant, where the likelihood of them being served Satvik food is higher, a choice.
BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya said on X, "India's 'secularism' can't be so fragile that a uniform order asking all eateries to display name and contact number of the owner/workers should disrupt it."
He said almost two decades ago, all eateries in Mumbai's business district, prominently displayed name of the eatery, owner, contact number, last BMC inspection date and hygiene grade.
If this wasn't discriminatory, then why should an order in Muzaffarnagar be seen with a different lens just because it is Uttar Pradesh, he asked.
The Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva, known as Kanwarias or "Bhole". The Kanwarias travel to Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Ajgaibinath, Sultanganj in Bhagalpur, Bihar to collect holy waters of Ganges River and then bring it back on foot to their hometowns where they offer the water to Shivlings on Maha Shivratri, which is on August 2 this year.
