New Delhi:

The Uttar Pradesh government has firmly opposed petitions challenging its directive requiring shop owners along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their names prominently.

In a detailed submission to the Supreme Court, the state government said that the directive was issued to ensure a peaceful and orderly pilgrimage.

The state government further explained that the directive was issued in response to complaints received from Kanwariyas regarding confusion caused by the names of the shops and eateries.

“The yatra is an arduous journey, where some Kanwariyas , i.e. the Dak Kanwariyas, do not even stop to rest once the Kanwar is on their shoulders. There are sacred features of the pilgrimage, such as the fact that the Kanwar, once filled with holy Gangajal, is not to be kept on the ground; nor under the shadow of the gular tree. It may also be noted that a Kanwaria embarks on the Yatra after years of preparation,” the government said in its statement.

The Kanwar Yatra, an annual pilgrimage where devotees of Lord Shiva, known as Kanwariyas, travel to fetch holy water from the Ganges River, sees millions of participants each year. 

The Uttar Pradesh government claimed that the directive was introduced in response to specific complaints from Kanwariyas. Pilgrims had allegedly raised concerns about the food being served along the route, which led to apprehensions regarding its preparation in line with religious practices.

The opposition has targetted the government calling the directive ‘anti-muslim’ and aimed at creating divisions within the society.

Devotees across the nation began their Kanwar Yatra on July 22, on the occasion of the first Monday of ‘Sawan’.

Many devotees thronged temples dedicated to Lord Shiva to offer their prayers and also took a holy dip in the Ganga to mark the first Monday of ‘Sawan’.

Devotees flock to temples, including the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain, the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, the Kali Paltan temple in Meerut, and the Jharkhandi Mahadev Temple in Gorakhpur, to offer their prayers.

Bhopal:

The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has clarified that it has not issued any instructions requiring shop owners to display their names along the Kanwar Yatra route in the state, and there is no such compulsion.

Amidst a row in Uttar Pradesh over a directive to highlight shop owners’ names on eateries along the Yatra route, the MP government has asked urban bodies to refrain from spreading any confusion.

A statement was issued by the Urban Development and Housing Department (UDHD) on Sunday night, days after the Ujjain mayor claimed shop owners had been directed to display their names and phone numbers on boards.

No instructions have been issued at the state government level regarding writing the names of shop owners on boards of their establishments along the Kanwar Yatra routes in urban areas, the UDHD stated.

Ujjain mayor Mukesh Tatwal last week cited a purported decision of the mayor-in-council dated September 26, 2002, and claimed a proposal asking shopkeepers to display their names had been approved.

He claimed the approval was forwarded to the state government for objections and all formalities have been completed.

Stating that such reports are inaccurate, the UDHD instructed urban bodies to avoid spreading confusion regarding directives to shop owners along the Kanwar Yatra route, emphasising that Madhya Pradesh Outdoor Advertisement Media Rules, 2017, do not compel shop owners to display their names on boards.

“Boards can be put up on shops under the Madhya Pradesh Outdoor Advertisement Media Rules, 2017. There is no compulsion to display the name of the shop owner on these boards,” the UDHD stated.

Following the mayor’s comments, the Ujjain Municipal Corporation also confirmed that no proposal is in place to mandate the display of names and phone numbers on shop boards in the city.

Separately, BJP MLA Ramesh Mendola had written to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, expressing support for shop owners to proudly display their names.

Mr Mendola argued that the display of names is a matter of personal pride and customer right, and not something to be mandated or discouraged.

“Every small and big trader, businessman, and shopkeeper in Madhya Pradesh will experience a sense of pride in telling their names,” the MLA stated.

In Uttar Pradesh, the controversy began when Muzaffarnagar police ordered eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display owners’ names to avoid confusion. This directive has faced criticism from opposition parties and some ruling alliance members who argue that it unfairly targets Muslim traders.

The BJP government in UP extended this order statewide on Friday, while Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said similar instructions are already in place in his state.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Food, and who cooks and serves at restaurants, was at the core of arguments in the Supreme Court Monday as it heard petitions against a police directive to eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route in Uttar Pradesh – to display names of owners and employees “to ensure… no confusion…”

The opposition has slammed the directive and at least three allies of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose support at the centre is crucial to the BJP, and union ministers Jayant Chaudhary (Rashtriya Lok Dal) and Chirag Paswan (Lok Janshakti Party).

“You go to a restaurant depending on the menu, not who is serving. The idea of directive is exclusion by identity. This is not the republic we envisaged in Constitution…” senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the petitioners said.

“There are a lot of ‘pure vegetarian’ restaurants run by Hindus… but they may have Muslim employees. Can I say I won’t eat there? Because food is somehow ‘touched’ by them?”

Last week police in UP’s Muzaffarnagar mandated all food joints along the route to prominently display names of owners. “This is being done to ensure there is no confusion among kanwariyas, and no allegations are raised in the future, leading to a law and order situation,” the cops said.

“Everyone is following this of their own free will…” the police said at a press conference.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi claimed that this move was to ensure no ‘Kanwariya’ buys anything from a Muslim owner’s shop.

Muzaffarnagar:

Rashtriya Lok Dal chief and BJP ally Jayant Chaudhary on Sunday demanded the Uttar Pradesh government roll back its order that eateries along the Kanwar route must display the names of their owners, saying the pilgrimage does not belong to any one religion or caste.

“It seems that the order was taken without much thought and the government is adamant on it because the decision has been taken,” the Rajya Sabha member told reporters here.

“There is still time. It (roll back) should happen or the government should not put much emphasis on (implementing) it,” he said.

No one identifies the Kanwar, neither the people who serve the Kanwar are identified on religion or caste, he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)