'Not well thought out': Jayant Chaudhary on Kanwar eatery order
Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary has disapproved of the Uttar Pradesh government's controversial order regarding eateries along the Kanwar Yatra routes, labeling the decision neither "well thought out" nor "well-reasoned." "There is still time. It (roll back) should happen or the government should not put much emphasis on (implementing) it," the minister said. His party, RLD, is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
Why does this story matter?
The order by the Yogi Adityanath government mandates eateries and food stalls along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of the owners. It was initially issued by Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar Police, but following widespread criticism, the district administration made publicizing names a "voluntary" decision. However, Uttar Pradesh CM Adityanath has extended the directive to the entire state and has refused to roll it back.
Chaudhary questions order's impact on community harmony
Speaking to ANI, Chaudhary expressed confusion over "this thing of identifying people and pointing them out." "No decision should cause harm to the sense of well-being of the community and harmony in the community. Those who go on Kanwar Yatra, and those who serve them, all are alike. This tradition has been there since the beginning...no one was bothered about who was serving them," he told the news agency.
Mixed reactions to the controversial order
Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Chirag Paswan also opposed the directive, stating that "casteism and communalism have harmed the country more than anything else." Similarly, KC Tyagi, a senior spokesperson of the Janata Dal (United), remarked that the order contradicted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's sabka saath, sabka vikas slogan. Like RLD, both LJP and JDU are part of the ruling NDA government.
Comparisons to apartheid and accusations of unconstitutionality
Meanwhile, Congress's UP unit chief Ajay Rai called the decision "absolutely impractical" and aimed to "impair the sense of brotherhood in society." All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi compared the decision to apartheid in South Africa and Judenboycott in Hitler's Germany. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav labeled such orders as "social crimes," while former UP Chief Minister Mayawati criticized it as unconstitutional.
