NEW DELHI: Several BJP functionaries and allies from Bihar, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh have rallied behind Uttar Pradesh govt’s directive requiring eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners’ names.
Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi from Bihar on Saturday defended the UP order, asserting that he saw “nothing wrong” with the directive. “What is the harm if people involved in businesses are asked to display their names and addresses prominently?” said Manjhi, founder of Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S), an NDA partner.
However, BJP’s allies in Bihar, including chief minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) and Union minister Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), criticised the order.Manjhi argued that “displaying shop owners’ names helps buyers locate favourite stalls” and should not be viewed through a religious lens.
In Madhya Pradesh, BJP MLA Ramesh Mendola wrote to CM Mohan Yadav, advocating for a similar policy in the state. Mendola argued on Saturday that such name displays would foster healthy competition and improve service quality.
“The name of a person is his identity. Asking for the name is the right of the customer and the shopkeeper should be proud to tell his name, and not be ashamed of it,” he wrote.
MP Congress spokesperson Mithun Ahirwar opposed Mendola’s demand, labelling it “politics of hate” and expressing concerns over its impact on Dalit food vendors. “Dalits who are in the food preparation system are often looked at with prejudice,” opposition Congress wrote in a letter to the CM, highlighted instances where Dalits faced discrimination, such as children refusing mid-day meals prepared by Dalit women and a young man selling biryani being assaulted when it was discovered he was a Dalit.
UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya backed the directive, accusing the opposition of appeasement politics. “Rather than criticising the yatra, the opposition should participate in it and purge themselves of all their sins,” he said Saturday.
Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage where devotees, known as Kanwariyas, travel to collect water from the Ganga to offer at Shiva temples in their hometowns and villages.
“The yatra is associated with the sentiments of crores of devotees…” Maurya said and dismissed opposition criticisms as lacking “reason and vision”.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey urged Jharkhand govt to mandate name displays for business establishments during the Shravan fair in Deoghar, aligning with the UP directive.
Dubey argued that the order is non-discriminatory and constitutionally sound. “In the first place, this law was made by the previous Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati governments. Since BJP respects the law of the land, it is only implementing it. What is unconstitutional about it? The order covers all… Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians. Does it differentiate between any specific caste and religion?” he said.
Jharkhand Congress spokesperson Rakesh Sinha accused BJP of exploiting religious politics to divide people. “JMM-Congress-RJD’s coalition govt believes in inclusivity unlike BJP. It must tell the people why it believes in doing politics using religion?” he said.
(With inputs from Madan Kumar in Patna; Suchandana Gupta & Sagar Choukse in Bhopal/Indore; Rajeev Mani in Prayagraj; ASRP Mukesh in Ranchi)
Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi from Bihar on Saturday defended the UP order, asserting that he saw “nothing wrong” with the directive. “What is the harm if people involved in businesses are asked to display their names and addresses prominently?” said Manjhi, founder of Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S), an NDA partner.
However, BJP’s allies in Bihar, including chief minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) and Union minister Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), criticised the order.Manjhi argued that “displaying shop owners’ names helps buyers locate favourite stalls” and should not be viewed through a religious lens.
In Madhya Pradesh, BJP MLA Ramesh Mendola wrote to CM Mohan Yadav, advocating for a similar policy in the state. Mendola argued on Saturday that such name displays would foster healthy competition and improve service quality.
“The name of a person is his identity. Asking for the name is the right of the customer and the shopkeeper should be proud to tell his name, and not be ashamed of it,” he wrote.
MP Congress spokesperson Mithun Ahirwar opposed Mendola’s demand, labelling it “politics of hate” and expressing concerns over its impact on Dalit food vendors. “Dalits who are in the food preparation system are often looked at with prejudice,” opposition Congress wrote in a letter to the CM, highlighted instances where Dalits faced discrimination, such as children refusing mid-day meals prepared by Dalit women and a young man selling biryani being assaulted when it was discovered he was a Dalit.
UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya backed the directive, accusing the opposition of appeasement politics. “Rather than criticising the yatra, the opposition should participate in it and purge themselves of all their sins,” he said Saturday.
Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage where devotees, known as Kanwariyas, travel to collect water from the Ganga to offer at Shiva temples in their hometowns and villages.
“The yatra is associated with the sentiments of crores of devotees…” Maurya said and dismissed opposition criticisms as lacking “reason and vision”.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey urged Jharkhand govt to mandate name displays for business establishments during the Shravan fair in Deoghar, aligning with the UP directive.
Dubey argued that the order is non-discriminatory and constitutionally sound. “In the first place, this law was made by the previous Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati governments. Since BJP respects the law of the land, it is only implementing it. What is unconstitutional about it? The order covers all… Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians. Does it differentiate between any specific caste and religion?” he said.
Jharkhand Congress spokesperson Rakesh Sinha accused BJP of exploiting religious politics to divide people. “JMM-Congress-RJD’s coalition govt believes in inclusivity unlike BJP. It must tell the people why it believes in doing politics using religion?” he said.
(With inputs from Madan Kumar in Patna; Suchandana Gupta & Sagar Choukse in Bhopal/Indore; Rajeev Mani in Prayagraj; ASRP Mukesh in Ranchi)