Amid mounting criticisms over the Uttar Pradesh government's order instructing eateries on the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners' names, a state minister defended the government stance, calling it a "matter of social harmony".
An order from the Uttar Pradesh chief minister’s office said on Friday that nameplates have to be put on the food shops on the Kanwar routes across Uttar Pradesh. "The decision was taken to maintain the purity of the faith of Kanwar pilgrims. Action will also be taken against those selling products with Halal certification," the order said.
The decision was met with criticisms, with opposition, including the Samajwadi Party, calling it "a social crime aimed at spoiling the peaceful atmosphere and harmony."
However, state minister Kapil Dev Aggarwal said many who run eateries along the routes were from the Muslim community though the shops were named after Hindu deities. "This is not a matter about every food cart. Those who carry 'jal' from Haridwar, travel for 250-300 km, crossing this route to reach their destination. Many who run their dhaba/hotel name their shops after Hindu deities but come from the Muslim community. Kanwariyas may visit their shops, where non-vegetarian food is sold. All such establishments should be identified and prohibited. We do not object to the sale of non-vegetarian food. We only urge that non-vegetarian food be sold by opening shops named after Hindu deities. So, the administration has acted accordingly," Aggarwal said.
He added that politicians were giving it a Hindu-Muslim angle. "But it is not. It is a matter of social harmony. People can sit and eat wherever they want, but they should know where they are," he added.
The order was also slammed by Congress as "an assault on India's culture" and said the order was aimed at normalising the economic boycott of Muslims. "The intention may also be to find out about the caste, there may also be an intention to find out who is a Dalit. The intention behind this is to normalize the economic boycott of Muslims. We will not let this intention succeed," Khera said. "Whether it is about the economic boycott of a Hindu or economic boycott of a Muslim, we will not let it succeed," he added.
Khera said the owners of many meat exporting companies are Hindus. "The way a Hindu exports meat, it remains meat, it does not become daal chawal. Similarly, if Altaf or Rashid is selling mango-guava, then mango-guava will not become meat," he added.
