Kanwar Yatra 2024: After the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments mandated all eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners' names, the Madhya Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made a similar demand in the state.
BJP Indore MLA Ramesh Mendola on Saturday wrote a letter to CM Mohan Yadav urging him to make it mandatory for all the owners to display their names on their shops. In the letter, Mendola said that a person's name is their identity, and everyone takes pride in their name and makes every possible effort to push it forward.
"A person's name is their identity. Everyone takes pride in their name and makes every possible effort to enhance it. In order to instill this sense of pride in every small and large trader, businessman, and shopkeeper in Madhya Pradesh, the state government should make it mandatory to display the shopkeeper's name in front of every permanent and mobile shop," the letter read.
"Doing so will increase the shopkeeper's recognition in society, and all shopkeepers will strive to enhance their name and goodwill by providing better service to customers. This will lead to healthy competition in the business world and accelerate the development of the state. I am confident that you will issue an order in this regard soon," it further stated.
A row over the display of owners' names erupted after the Muzaffarnagar Police issued an advisory earlier this week. The opposition members had slammed the move and stated that it targets Muslim traders and creates a divide.
The police had, however, stated in its notice that the advisory to the eateries to display their owners's names was aimed at avoiding any confusion and preventing any law-and-order situation from arising.
Following the backlash, the Muzaffarnagar Police issued a fresh advisory that made it voluntary for the owners to display their names. However, the Yogi Adityanath-led government made it mandatory today, saying the decision was taken to maintain the purity of faith of Kanwar pilgrims.
"Action will also be taken against those selling products with Halal certification," an official statement from the CM's office said.
As the order was extended in UP, Aligarh SP Mrigank Shekhar Pathak said: "Instructions regarding the Kanwar Yatra are being strictly followed. To ensure the smooth functioning of the Kawar Yatra routes, encroachments are being removed, and requests are being made to food stall owners to clearly display their names and contact numbers. This is being done so that the Kanwars do not face any difficulties along the route."
On Friday, the Uttar Pradesh government mandated all eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners' names, triggering political outrage. After UP, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stated that similar instructions are already in place in the state. Dhami said that the decision was taken on July 12 at a meeting to review Kanwar Yatra's preparations.
Conspiracy To Keep Dalits Unemployed: Saurabh Bahradwaj
On 'nameplates' on food shops on the Kanwar route in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj says, "...Most of the people who sell fruits, vegetables are Dalits...They are preparing a ground for exploitation based on caste. To protect the Constitution, people who belong to Dalit society have not voted in favour of BJP and a conspiracy is being hatched to keep Dalits unemployed."