Kanwar Yatra Order Issued 'Without Much Thought': BJP Ally Jayant Chaudhary Calls For Rollback Of UP Govt Order

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary, a minister in the BJP-led NDA government, criticised the Uttar Pradesh government's directive requiring eateries and food stalls along Kanwar Yatra routes to display their owners' names. In his first public response, Chaudhary labeled the decision neither a ‘well thought out nor a well-reasoned’ one.

"It seems that the order was taken without much thought and the government is adamant on it because the decision has been taken,” he said.

#WATCH | On 'nameplates' on food shops on the Kanwar route in UP, RLD MP & Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary says, "It doesn't appear to be well thought out and well-reasoned decision. Any decision shouldn't cause harm to the sense of well-being of the community and harmony in the… pic.twitter.com/ULYQdKy8de

— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2024

Chaudhary said that the Kanwar Yatra, a religious pilgrimage, involves individuals from all backgrounds equally. He argued that such an order undermines community harmony by focusing unnecessarily on the identities of those serving pilgrims.

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“Any decision shouldn't cause harm to the sense of well-being of the community and harmony in the community. All those who go on Kanwar yatra and people who serve them, all are same. This tradition has been there from starting and no one saw who was serving them. This thing of identifying people and pointing out them, I couldn't get that,” he added as quoted by news agency ANI.

The controversial order, initially issued by Muzaffarnagar Police, faced huge backlash from opposition parties and as well as BJP allies. The Muzaffarnagar district administration later made the name display requirement voluntary. However, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath extended the directive to the entire state and has resisted calls to reverse it.

Chaudhary urged the government to reconsider the decision or minimise its implementation. He said that there is still an opportunity to address the issue before it further impacts public sentiment.

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"There is still time. It (roll back) should happen or the government should not put much emphasis on (implementing) it," RLD chief Chaudhary said, as reported by PTI.

Previously, Union Minister Chirag Paswan also criticised the order, condemning it for creating divisions based on caste and religion.

"Whenever there is any divide in the name of caste or religion, I absolutely don't support it," Paswan said.