Controversial Kanwar Yatra order to echo in Parliament, Supreme Court; RLD joins chorus for withdrawal

NEW DELHI: The row over the directive by Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments asking eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners' names escalated as the BJP's ally RLD on Sunday joined the chorus for its withdrawal and the opposition parties stated they will raise the issue in Parliament.

The issue has also reached the Supreme Court which is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea filed by an NGO - Association of Protection of Civil Rights - against the UP government order.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra too moved the apex court against the orders, alleging they are aimed at creating a socially enforced economic boycott of Muslim shopowners and workers and would aggravate communal discord between communities.

Extensive arrangements have been made across several states for the Kanwar Yatra that starts on Monday with the beginning of the Sawan month of the Hindu calendar during which lakhs of Shiva devotees carry the holy water from the Ganges in Haridwar and offer it at Shivlings on their way.

The opposition has alleged that the order on eateries is "communal and divisive" and intended to target Muslims and Scheduled Castes by forcing them to reveal their identity. But the BJP maintained that the step has been taken keeping in mind law and order issues and the religious sentiments of pilgrims.

At an all-party meeting on Sunday on the eve of the Parliament session, several opposition parties, including the Congress, DMK, SP and AAP, criticised the order and made it clear that they would raise the issue in the two Houses. They demanded that the government should allow a discussion on it in Parliament.

Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav alleged that the move is clearly targeted at Muslims and accused the ruling BJP in the state of pursuing communally divisive politics.

After JD(U), another BJP ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary disapproved of the order and demanded that it be rescinded.

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

"There is still time. It (rollback) should happen or the government should not put much emphasis on (implementing) it," he said in Muzaffarnagar.

He said Kanwariyas do not ask about anyone's religion when they seek any service from them and the matter (serving the kanwariyas) should not be linked to any religion.

TMC leader Moitra in her plea before the apex court alleged that forcing the disclosure of the names of proprietors and staff on the stated ground of respecting pilgrims' dietary choices, is a pretext, or a proxy for the compelled disclosure of religious identity, through the disclosure of names.

The plea alleged that this has been done to "create a socially-enforced economic boycott on Muslim shop owners and workers".

A Supreme Court bench of justices Hrishikesh Roy and S V N Bhatti is likely to hear on Monday the plea filed by the Association of Protection of Civil Rights on the issue.

Wading into the controversy, yoga guru Ramdev justified the order, saying everyone should be proud of their identity and no one should have any problem revealing it.

"When Ramdev has no problem in revealing his identity, then why should Rehman have any problem," he told reporters in Haridwar.

Days after the Muzaffarnagar Police asked all eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners' names, the BJP government on Friday extended the controversial order across Uttar Pradesh, drawing flak from many Muslim bodies, besides political parties.

The BJP rejected the criticism, saying authorities were only implementing the 2006 rules made by the then Samajwadi Pary government in the state.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said similar instructions are already in place in his state as well.

In Muzaffarnagar, several dhaba owners and workers expressed apprehensions about losing business due to the directive.

Mohammad Arsalan, the owner of a dhaba, said he fears that Kanwariyas will not eat at his place due to his Muslim name.

"My dhaba is named Baba ka Dhaba, like every third dhaba on this route. More than half of my staff are Hindus. We serve only vegetarian food here and even avoid using garlic and onion during Shravan (monsoon).

"Still, as the owner, I had to display my name. I have also decided to change the name of the dhaba. I fear that Kanwariyas after looking at a Muslim name will not come and eat at my place," he said.

"With such limited business, I cannot afford to hire extra staff this year," Arsalan explained.

Meanwhile, the BJP-ruled Ujjain Municipal Corporation in Madhya Pradesh has directed shop owners to display their names and mobile numbers outside their establishments in the holy city or face a fine.

The order is aimed at ensuring safety and transparency and not intended to target Muslim shop-keepers, Ujjain Mayor Mukesh Tatwal said on Saturday.

Authorities in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand on Sunday said they have made special arrangements to ensure a smooth yatra and extensive security measures are in place.

Spanning from July 22 to August 19, this special period for the worship of Lord Shiva will include five Mondays. A large number of devotees travel from various places with 'kanwars' carrying holy water from the Ganges to perform 'jalabhishek' of Shivlings.

Measures like declaring no-vehicle zones, setting up barricades and CCTV and drone surveillance to monitor the routes have been taken.

The Delhi Police also issued a traffic advisory and cautioned that congestion is expected in several places.

A large number of Kanwariyas will reach Delhi, while some of them will go to Haryana and Rajasthan via Delhi borders. This year, the expected number of people is about 15- 20 lakh, the advisory said.

The advisory said that during the Kanwaria movement, traffic violations will be checked by on-the-spot prosecution and by photography or videography of violations.