"To save their chair, they have asked to put up boards": Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav on 'nameplates' in Kanwar Yatra routes

New Delhi [India], July 22 (ANI): Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav on Monday targeted Bharatiya Janata Party over Uttar Pradesh government's directive to display owners' names outside shops, saying that the directive was issued to protect their chair.
"It is raining right now. Then the winter offer will come. To save their chair, they have asked to put up boards (owners' names) outside the shops. And the truth is that the governments of Delhi and Lucknow are together in this," Yadav told ANI.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court on Monday put an interim stay on directives issued by the authorities of certain state governments that eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route should display the names of the owners outside such shops.
A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti issued notice to Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh, where the Kanwar Yatra takes place.
The bench said state police cannot force shopkeepers to display their names and they can only be asked to display food items."Until the returnable date, having regard to the discussion, we deem it appropriate to pass an interim order prohibiting the enforcement of the above directives. In other words, the food sellers... hawkers, etc. may be required to display the kind of food they are serving to Kanwariyas but they must not be forced to disclose the names," the bench said in its order.
It has posted the matter for hearing on July 26.
The top court was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the directive issued by the Senior Superintendent of Police, Muzaffarnagar, in Uttar Pradesh, to shop owners to display their names outside shops during the Kanwar Yatra season. The police had said that the decision was in the interest of law and order.
The directive was reportedly enforced across many districts of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh also came up with similar directives.
The petitions were filed by Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra, the Association for Protection of Civil Rights, Delhi University Professor Apoorvanand, with activist Aakar Patel.
They have challenged the directives, saying it's causing religious discrimination and questioned the source of the power of the authorities to issue such directions.
Last week, the Uttar Pradesh government asked the food and beverage shops along Kanwar Yatra routes to display the name and identity of the operator/owner of their establishments.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who was representing Mahua Moitra, Kanwar Yatras have been happening for decades and people of all religions, including Muslims, Christians and Buddhists help them on their way. (ANI)