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Kanwar Yatra is a pilgrimage performed by many Hindus during the month of Sawan. File picture
The former union minister's critical stance on the Yogi Adityanath government's decisions on Thursday surprised many in the BJP and the opposition
A day before, the Uttar Pradesh government asked shopkeepers, street vendors and restaurants on the Kanwar Yatra route in Muzaffarnagar to put up owner name boards, BJP leader and former union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi ( Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi softened his stance. Naqvi said there was confusion over the Uttar Pradesh government's limited orders to Muzaffarnagar on Thursday, but that has now been cleared through detailed instructions.
“Confusion broke out due to limited administrative guidelines. I am happy that the state government has cleared up any communal misunderstanding. As far as the name is concerned, the Yogi government has not directed any religious group. This directive applies to all shopkeepers. Devotees to avoid during Kanwar Yatra Eat certain foods. Therefore, their beliefs should be respected. I personally participated in the Kanwar Yatra,” Naqvi told CNN-news18.
The former Lok Sabha member's critical stance on the decisions of the Yogi Adityanath government has surprised many in the BJP and the opposition as he is known not to get involved in controversies. As recently as 2014, he had protested when then-ousted PPP leader Sabir Ali, whom Naqvi said was a friend of terrorist Yasin Bhatkar, joined the BJP. He had teased that gangster terrorist Dawood Ibrahim could be the next member of the BJP. But his remarks at the time were supported by the RSS, the ideological guru of the BJP.
Naqvi posted on a social media site on Thursday that faith must be respected but untouchability must not be encouraged).
However, the BJP leader received a lot of criticism on social media and responded by sharing a picture of himself from a past Kanwar Yatra. He wrote, “Hey trolls… don't distribute certificates of respect and faith to me for Kanwar Yatra. I have always believed that no faith should be held hostage to intolerance or untouchability. Old photos show him carrying the Kanwar on his shoulders .The annual pilgrimage by devotees of Lord Shiva will begin on July 22 this year.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday issued an order requiring nameplates to be put up on all food outlets along the Kanwar Yatra route in Uttar Pradesh, not just in Muzaffarnagar. The name of the owner or operator must be displayed. The order has exacerbated the problem, with opposition parties protesting everywhere.
In fact, BJP ally Janata Dal (United) and the Janata Party also said that the order should be withdrawn as it could lead to communal tension and there should not be any discrimination on the basis of religion or caste.
