New Delhi: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has strongly criticized a police order in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, mandating the display of eatery owners’ names along the Kanwar Yatra route. Gandhi condemned the order as unconstitutional and demanded its immediate withdrawal, calling for strict action against the officials responsible.
“This order should be withdrawn immediately and strict action should be taken against the officials who issued it,” read Gandhi’s post on X, formerly Twitter. She emphasized that creating societal divisions based on caste and religion is a crime against the Constitution.
“Our Constitution guarantees every citizen that he will not be discriminated against on the basis of caste, religion, language, or any other basis. The divisive order to put up name boards of the owners of carts, kiosks, and shops in Uttar Pradesh is an attack on our Constitution, our democracy, and our shared heritage,” Gandhi stated.
The contentious order, issued in preparation for the Kanwar Yatra, instructs all eateries, hotels, dhabas, and roadside carts within a 240 km stretch to display the names of their proprietors. According to Abhishek Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police in Muzaffarnagar, the directive aims to prevent confusion among the kanwariyas (pilgrims) and avoid potential law and order issues. Singh asserted that compliance is voluntary.
However, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and other opposition figures have slammed the order, arguing it targets Muslim-owned businesses. Owaisi accused the move of being a ploy to deter kanwariyas from patronizing Muslim-owned shops.
“The Opposition linked the move to ‘apartheid’ in South Africa and policies in Hitler’s Germany,” a statement from the opposition parties read.
In response to the escalating controversy, the police issued a clarification stating that the order’s intent was not to foster religious discrimination but to facilitate the kanwariyas.
The Kanwar Yatra, an annual pilgrimage by devotees of Lord Shiva, is set to commence on July 22. As preparations continue, the debate over the order remains heated, highlighting deeper societal tensions.
