Why Yogi Government's Order On Eateries Along Kanwar Yatra Route Does Not Seem Arbitrary

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh (UP) has directed that food shops along the Kanwar Yatra route must have 'name plates' displaying the names of the owner(s) and employees.

The decision was taken to maintain the purity of the faith of Kanwar pilgrims, the Chief Minister's Office said, as reported by news agency ANI.

Additionally, the UP government warned of action against those selling products with halal certification.

Earlier, Muzaffarnagar police had issued an advisory directing eateries on the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owner's name.

A similar order was reportedly issued later by Saharanpur Range Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) for Kanwar Yatra routes in Saharanpur and Shamli.

Now, after the UP Chief Minister's order, the move will be implemented across the state.

Strong Reactions

The decision, which does not mention a religion, has sparked a political uproar, with even the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) allies Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) questioning the move.

JD(U) leader K C Tyagi emphasised that the Kanwar Yatra occurs peacefully across various states and cautioned against actions that could harm communal harmony.

He highlighted the involvement of Muslim artisans in making the Kanwars and providing food for the pilgrims.

RLD spokesperson Anil Dubey and BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also questioned the need for such directives, with Naqvi warning against actions that promote untouchability.

Naqvi said, “The hasty orders of some over-zealous officials will create trouble… promote the evil of untouchability. Faith must be respected, but untouchability must not be patronised."

In a revised order, the Muzaffarnagar administration encouraged voluntary name displays to avoid confusion and potential law and order issues.

DIG (Saharanpur Range) Ajay Kumar Sahni cited past incidents of misrepresented shops causing problems as a justification for the directive.

The opposition led by Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress also criticised the order.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav called the order divisive, while Congress leader Pawan Khera questioned the intent and raised the implications of an economic boycott.

However, the BJP has defended the move.

"What hypocrisy," BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, stressing that everyone should have the right to choose the food they like during a religious yatra.

"If Muslims can eat at a place which serves Halal food only, other devotees should also be allowed to choose to eat Satvik food during their religious yatra," he said.

BJP leader Amit Malviya also slammed the opposition.

"If food is a choice, and restaurants, including some MNCs, delivery apps, catering to Muslim sensibilities, prominently display Halal compliance certificates, then why should it be any different for fasting Hindus (Kanwar Yatris in this case), who may want to eat at a pure veg restaurant, where the likelihood of them being served Satvik food is higher? Is giving Hindus equal right to choice a sin?" he said in an X post.

Malviya also brought up the issue of Muslim-owned commercial establishments adopting Hindu names for business and worse.

"Also ask what necessitated this order? Particularly to those secularists, who have assumed that this order is discriminatory and against Muslims. Because they know that several Muslims acquire overtly Hindu names for their businesses, from coaching institutes to food joints, and indulge in not just violating religious sensibilities but also conversions and worse. We have already seen so many disgusting videos of vendors/workers spitting, urinating and more…," he wrote.

Several reports have shown that many eateries named after Hindu gods and goddesses are being run by Muslims.

Reportedly, these Hindu-named, Muslim-owned dhabas have made special arrangements for the Kanwar yatris on the yatra marg (path).

For the UP government, the decision was taken only to maintain the purity of the faith of the Kanwariyas, who follow strict dietary restrictions during the holy month of saawan and prefer 'satvik' food.

"It has been observed that some people write the names of their shops, dhabas, and restaurants in the name of Hindu religion, while they are actually run by Muslims. We have no objection to them being Muslim. The problem arises when they sell non-vegetarian food at these places, which are labeled as Vaishno dhabas, Shakumbhari Devi Bhojanalayas, or Shuddh Bhojanalayas, implying pure vegetarian food," Minister Kapil Dev Agarwal said.

"I had demanded from the district administration that the names of the owners be displayed on such dhabas. What is the objection in this? Several videos have gone viral showing people spitting on bread and in restaurants," he said.

Many such cases of alleged spitting have been reported.

With the Kanwar Yatra holding immense significance for Hindus in UP, the Yogi government's decision to have shop name plates was likely driven by the following reasons.

1. Avoiding communal friction

The Western UP belt and parts of Uttarakhand, where one of the Kanwar Yatra routes lie, is a sensitive area due to the sizeable population of Muslims.

Although past Kanwar Yatras have seen little to no communal tension, the region is still sensitive due to the charged atmosphere during the pilgrimage.

Even a small incident could result in a communal flare-up in a region which saw massive Hindu-Muslim riots in 2013.

Muslims running shops named after Hindu gods and goddesses without divulging their identity could prove to be an issue, triggering unwanted communal tensions during the yatra.

2. The importance of satvik food for many Hindus

While a vast number of Hindus may not have any qualms about what they eat and who has prepared it, there are some in the community for whom having satvik food during the holy month of saawan, or around the year, is a matter almost of life and death.

For them, satvik bhojan doesn't only mean what they are eating; it also includes how the food was prepared and by whom. Food prepared by a non-Hindu could be a point of contention for them, even if others deem this behaviour irrational.

Further, there are no statutory measures or certifications in place — like how there is halal — for determining what is and is not satvik food.

A halal certification is a guarantee that food is prepared adhering to Islamic law and is unadulterated.

In India, various halal-certifying agencies provide certification to companies, products, and food establishments.

And the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) provides accreditation to these “Halal Certification Bodies” through the Quality Council of India.

Being certified by government-recognised, halal-certifying bodies gives companies an advantage in both the national and international markets.

There was no mandatory halal certification system regulated by the government earlier in India, as the country does not have national regulation for such certification.

However, to streamline the certification of meat and meat products as halal from the country, a scheme titled 'India Conformity Assessment Scheme (i-CAS)' was developed by the government.

The lack of an official satvik food certification process could, therefore, also be the reason behind the Yogi government's decision, as they try to ensure that people know where they are getting their food from.

3. The directive is religion-neutral

The Yogi government's directive doesn't mention any religion; it applies to all Hindu and Muslim eatery owners alike.

The argument that it would result in the economic boycott of Muslims can be applied the other way around, by saying that the minority community can do likewise in areas where its population exceeds that of Hindus.

Further, the Yogi government has released various guidelines for the Kanwar Yatra.

Starting 22 July, Kanwariyas will be prohibited from carrying spears, tridents, or any weapons. There will be close monitoring of devotees carrying the tricolour.

Although there is no ban on DJs used by Kanwariyas, sound limits will be enforced. The height of the Kanwar structures will also be regulated to prevent accidents with electric wires.

These measures indicate that the state is taking every possible action without prejudice against anyone to prevent any untoward incident.

In any case, the real test of the administration will come when saawan begins and troupes of Kanwariyas actually begin plying the routes.

More than one test awaits the Yogi administration this saawan.