Last updated:
As per the order, hotels, dhabas and roadside restaurants along the Kanwar Yatra have been asked to display the names, addresses and phone numbers of the owners. (Representative photo/PTI)
The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a stay on directives issued by two BJP-ruled states
Congress on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court upholding the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand government's order requiring restaurants on the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of owners and said the party wanted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make the BJP chief minister aware of their “raj dharma” “.
The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a stay on directives issued by the two BJP-ruled states. They have asked restaurateurs along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names, employees and other details of their owners, a move the opposition claims is aimed at promoting religious discrimination.
However, a bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti issued notices to the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh, where the Ujjain municipal body also issued a similar directive, saying restaurants may need to display the variety of food they serve as if they were vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Same as vegetarians.
Reacting to this development, Congress media and publicity chief Pawan Khera said, “We welcome the Supreme Court's stay on the completely unconstitutional order of the Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh governments, in which they requested It is unconstitutional for all shopkeepers, restaurants and street vendors to write their names and identities on boards outside, especially during Kanwar Yatra, which is opposed by the Congress and the entire opposition.
“We are happy that the Supreme Court has given such a strong order and we hope the Prime Minister will make his chief ministers aware of their 'raj dharma (solemn duty)'. Unfortunately, he is still the same Prime Minister when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat When he was a minister, then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee asked him to follow 'raj dharma' but he disobeyed 'Atal ji',” Hera said in the film's statement.
“We hope that his chief minister will not defy him. Although the prime minister's position in the party has been greatly weakened, we hope that he will restore it and safeguard his position and prevent his chief minister from taking such unconstitutional steps.
During the “Shravan” month of the Hindu calendar, a large number of believers take “kanwars” from various places to carry holy water from the Ganges to perform the “jalabhishek” activities of Shivlings. Many believers avoid eating meat during months they consider holy.
The important order comes amid escalating controversy over the directive, with even BJP ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) joining the chorus in support of its withdrawal, while the opposition parties decided to raise it in Parliament One question.
The opposition claimed that the orders were “communal and divisive” and aimed at targeting Muslims and scheduled castes by forcing them to reveal their identities, but the BJP maintained that the step was taken keeping in mind law and order concerns as well as religious sentiments of pilgrims.
(This report has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from United News Agency-PTI)
