- By Nidhi Giri
- Tue, 23 Jul 2024 06:55 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Lauding the Supreme Court's interim stay on the order asking the UP eateries on Kanwar Yatra route to display their names outside the shops, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday launched an attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), asking the saffron party if they check the religion when Amarnath and Vaishno Devi yatris undertake pilgrimage on the shoulders of Muslims.
“If the (Kanwar Yatra) order was meant to keep Muslims away, then for God's sake, tell me, when the (Amarnath) yatra takes place here (Jammu and Kashmir)…it is not possible without the Muslims,” Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar.
Elaborating his point, the National Conference vice president said, “The Amarnath yatris undertake the pilgrimage on the shoulders of Muslims. The people who take Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims on horses or pithus (porters)…which religion do they belong to? There, the BJP does not see religion.”
In a major blow to the Uttar Pradesh government, the Supreme Court on Monday stayed its order asking the UP eateries on Kanwar Yatra route to display their names outside the shops. “It is argued that the Yatris can have hygienic food confirming their standards (without these directives), and the powers of FSSAI cannot be usurped by police under the law. Counsel states that because of the impugned directives, penal Action has been taken against those having a business on the route of the yatra,” the top court noted, as per Bar and Bench.
A Supreme Court bench of justices Hrishikesh Roy and S V N Bhatti passed the order in this regard. The apex court said it was not required for the eateries to display their names but owners have to display the type of food they tend to serve.
“We deem it appropriate to pass an interim order prohibiting the enforcement of the above directives. In other words, the affected owners have to display the type of food but not the names,” it said.
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The Uttar Pradesh government extended the controversial order, initially issued in Muzaffarnagar, across the entire state on Friday. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stated that similar instructions were already in effect in his state as well.
The order sparked controversy, drawing criticism from opposition parties, civil society, and even some leaders within the ruling alliance. Critics argue that the new rule will 'target Muslim traders.'