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UP politics in turmoil as Oppn raises religious discrimination in ‘government directive’

UP politics in turmoil as Oppn raises religious discrimination in ‘government directive’

After the Uttar Pradesh government issued a directive for food shops on the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners, opposition parties continued to attack the state government, citing discrimination on the basis of religion, while the ruling party defended itself. Read more on Dynamite News:

New Delhi: After the Uttar Pradesh government issued a directive for grocery shops along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners, opposition parties continued to attack the state government, citing discrimination on the basis of religion, while the ruling party defended itself.

Interestingly, amid the unrest in Uttar Pradesh, the Haridwar police also issued an order to restaurant owners to mention their names on the Kanwar Yatra route.

Asaduddin Owaisi, president of All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), said it reflects the hatred towards Muslims in India.
“Fear on Kanwar routes in UP: This is the reality of hatred towards Indian Muslims. The credit for this deep-rooted hatred goes to political parties, Hindutva leaders and so-called lip-service secular parties,” Owaisi said in a post on ‘X’, sharing a photo of an egg stall with the owner’s name on it.

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal also criticised the move and wondered if the Kanwar Yatra route is the same as the journey to ‘Viksit Bharat’.

“Kanwar Yatra Route UP sends eateries including roadside carts to display names of owners! Is this the route to a ‘Viksit Bharat’? Divided agendas will only divide the country!” Sibal said in a post on ‘x’.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat also slammed the Yogi Adityanath government for the move, comparing it to Nazi Germany.

“The Uttar Pradesh government is destroying the Constitution of India by issuing such orders… An entire community is being humiliated… They are trying to divide the society… These kinds of attacks were carried out by Nazis in Germany… I condemn it,” Karat told ANI on Saturday.

Sanjay Raut, MP for Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), has slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the recent Uttar Pradesh government decision that has made it mandatory for shopkeepers to put up signboards with the names of their owners on their stalls. According to Raut, the ruling party has no interest in dividing the country through such decisions as it would disrupt the unity of the country.

“Now you (BJP) are directing food stalls to put up name plates on the basis of caste and religion? Do you want to divide the country? You will not benefit from it. You are breaking the unity of the nation,” 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 that grocery shops along the Kanwar Yatra route must display the names of their owners.

After Sonu Sood posted a message saying that only ‘humanity’ should be written on shop signage, BJP MP Kangana Ranaut on Friday questioned the actos’ stand.

Sonu Sood went to X to give his opinion on the matter and said, “There should be only one sign on every shop: ‘HUMANITY’”

Responding to Sonu Sood’s stance, Kangana Ranaut said, “I agree that Halal should be replaced with ‘HUMANITY’.”
Peoples Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti attacked the Uttar Pradesh government, saying the BJP wants to end the rights of Muslims, Dalits and other sections of the population.

Mufti said at a press conference today: “Our Constitution gives equal rights and 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), they will destroy the Constitution. These people went from 350 to 240 but they have not learnt a 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 abolish the rights of Muslims, Dalits and other groups because they want to create another system here,” she added.

Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav also criticised the move and urged the court to hear the case on the principle of discretion.

Earlier, the Muzaffarnagar police had said that the police have appealed to all eateries to mention the names of their owners and employees “voluntarily”. According to them, the intention of this decision is not to create “religious discrimination” but only to facilitate the devotees.

Golu Shukla, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Indore-3 constituency, on Saturday extended support to the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to make it mandatory for eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to list the names of their owners.

“We have been organising the Baneshwari Kanwar Yatra for 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 Shravan month, and will continue till July 29,” Shukla said.
West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sukanta Majumdar on Saturday came out in support of the Uttar Pradesh government’s directive for food shops along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners. He said a similar notification was issued during the Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav governments.

“Opposition is misleading people and spreading lies. A similar notification was issued during the Mulayam Singh Yadav government, and the Akhilesh Yadav government also issued such notifications… it is a routine exercise and not specific to the Kanwar Yatra. The law requires that names be registered, not that a person be identified on the basis of religion… Hindus who eat non-vegetarian food 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 said.

Haridwar District Magistrate Dhiraj Singh Garbyal on Saturday said the move is aimed at “ensuring the convenience of the public and letting people know the details of the owner of the eatery.”

Minister Giriraj Singh said, “This is a matter for the state government. If the state government comes up with a new rule, everyone has to abide by it.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said this is an attempt by the BJP to create distance between people. I am just asking whether it is appropriate or not, irrespective of whose name it is and whether he is a member of the BJP.

Congress leader Salman Khurshid said, “On behalf of the 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 say absolutely that whether it is social work or religious work, people of every religion come together on their respective big festivals. The civilisation of our country has always been like this.”

“We must help each other enthusiastically in such cases.

This is our civilisation. And why we are being separated from this civilisation, it 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 with anyone from another religion,” Khurshid added. (ANI)