NEW DELHI: The practice of disclosing the shop owner’s name during Kanwar Yatra will be picked up by other BJP ruled states too.
Uttar Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, by instructing shopkeepers across the state coming in the way of Kanwar Yatra to write the names of the owners outside their shops seems to have found a strategy to counter the game of “Constitution and reservation in danger” played by I.N.D.I Alliance in the Lok Sabha elections.
Similar decisions may be seen in other states in the near future. Assam CM Hemant Vishwa Sharma’s statements and actions regarding the growing Muslim population are also drawing the Opposition into appeasement politics. However, Yogi’s decision has intensified the political climate.
Though shop operators are required to display their names outside, this practice was paused for a period. With the political dynamics intensifying after CM Yogi’s instructions, the BJP could gain an advantage. Meanwhile, the opposition’s attacks may reignite Hindu-Muslim political tensions as the Opposition starts engaging in appeasement politics.
However, BJP’s allies JDU, Rashtriya Lok Dal have demanded the withdrawal of the order. And LJP Ram Vilas Paswan’s leader Chirag Paswan has said not to link politics with religion.
But it does not seem that Yogi is going to withdraw the order. After Yogi’s order, the Uttarakhand government has also issued an order and indicated that the matter will move further. Parties like Congress, Samajwadi Party, BSP, AIMIM have opened a front against BJP.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has labelled Yogi Adityanath’s decision as an attack on democracy, signaling a gradual shift by the opposition back to appeasement politics. The opposition may also raise this issue during the upcoming budget session of Parliament. During the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP struggled to counter Congress’ claims about undermining the Constitution and reservation policies. The opposition’s attempt to divide Hindus over reservation issues had some success, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP lost 29 seats and failed to secure a majority on its own. Yogi Adityanath’s recent move to unite Hindus could be gaining traction as he aims to counter the opposition.
The practice of displaying shop owners’ names was initiated by the district administration in Muzaffarnagar. This matter is not going to stop at UP and Uttarakhand. Soon BJP ruled states like Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh can also adopt it. The Kanwar Yatra, which takes place in Sawan is mostly taken out in Hindi speaking states. But in UP and Uttarakhand, more than 4 crore Kanwar pilgrims from all over the country take water from the Ganga passing through Haridwar, Neelkanth, Gangotri and other places and offer that holy water in the Shiva temples of their villages. This month-long journey affects almost all the states. This time the yatra will start from Monday and will continue till 22nd August next month. The maximum crowd gathers near Shivaratri.
State governments take extensive steps to ensure smooth running of this yatra. Most of the main roads are closed. In Uttar Pradesh, this yatra passes through Muslim dominated areas. It has been a challenge for the government and administration to conduct this yatra peacefully. Before the BJP government came to power, violent incidents used to take place during the yatra, but now the situation remains under control for some time. Due to the opening of new highways in UP and Uttarakhand, many types of restaurants and dhabas have opened. Most of them have opened small and big dhabas in the name of Hindu gods but their owners are Muslims. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued an order requiring food shop owners along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their names and identities. He stated that this measure aims to preserve the sanctity of the Kanwar pilgrims. Additionally, a ban on selling halal products has been imposed to ensure there are no issues with the pilgrims’ food and drink. The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand has also adopted these directives in his state. The impact of these orders is noticeable across many districts in West Uttar Pradesh, as they have significantly heated up the political climate both in the state and nationally.
The Samajwadi Party, BSP, Congress and AIMIM have demanded the withdrawal of the order. Recently, Chandrashekhar Azad of Azad Party had tried to heat up the state’s politics by raising questions on Kanwar Yatra. Now that Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments have asked shopkeepers to write their names, this will once again strengthen the politics of polarization in both the states. During the Lok Sabha elections in UP, Uttarakhand and other states, the Hindus who were united in the name of Hindutva were misled in the name of caste and reservation by the I.N.D.I Alliance.
This affected the Dalit and backward castes who took advantage of reservation and they voted against the BJP and gave surprising results in UP. Yogi has given the answer to the reservation and caste politics of the opposition with the decision of Kanwar Yatra. This can have an impact on the elections of Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand to be held at the end of this year. In Jharkhand, lakhs of pilgrims offer water at Devdhar Baba Dham during the month of Kanwar. Kanwar Yatra starts from every district of Haryana. Along with this, the Uniform Civil Code of Uttarakhand, the decision of the Assam government to cancel the marriage and divorce laws of Muslims will once again give strength to the politics of polarization.