Assault on Indian culture: Eateries on Kanwar route asked to display names

New Delhi: Janata Dal (United) leader KC Tyagi on Thursday said the Muzaffarnagar Police order asking eateries on the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners’ names should be withdrawn as it may cause communal tension and there should not be any discrimination on the basis of religion or caste. Police in Muzaffarnagar have ordered all eateries on the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners to avoid any “confusion”.

Asked about the order which has drawn flak from the politicians and members of the civil society, Tyagi leader said the ‘Kanwar Yatra’, a pilgrimage undertaken by the Hindus during the month of Sawan of the Hindu calendar, has been crossing different areas of western Uttar Pradesh for ages and communal tension has not been reported. The JD (U) leader said such discrimination on the basis of religion is wrong and will only widen the communal divide.

The Congress slammed it as “an assault on India’s culture” saying those who wanted to decide who eats what, will now decide who buys what from whom.

Hitting out at the BJP-RSS, the Congress also said the intention of such an order was to normalise economic boycott of Muslims.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said the order is a “social crime” and asked the courts to take suo motu cognisance of the matter.

Yadav 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?”

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi slammed the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government over an advisory and challenged UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to issue a written order in this regard. Government wants to make Muslims “second-grade” citizens . “We condemn this (verbal order). This is a violation of Article 17 of the Constitution, which talks about untouchability.