Lucknow, July 3 Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Thursday slammed the Samajwadi Party (SP) for politicising the Kanwar Yatra and accused it of engaging in "appeasement politics" to cater to a particular community.
His comments come amid a growing political row over the temporary closure of meat shops along the yatra routes and the mandatory display of shop owners' names at food stalls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Delhi.
The Opposition, including the SP, has alleged that these measures are constitutionally questionable and are aimed at stirring "religious hatred" under the guise of maintaining order during the religious procession.
Reacting to these claims, Pathak defended the directives, asserting that they are in the public interest and meant to ensure transparency.
"The directive ensures the customer knows who the seller is and from whom they are buying edible material.
He went further to accuse the SP of attempting to impose religious law and destabilise communal harmony.
"We have heard and seen statements of various leaders of the Samajwadi Party through television and read in newspapers. By those statements, it seems they only want to implement Sharia law in the state and the country. They want to throw the state into the fire of terrorism... the fire of riots," he added.
The Deputy Chief Minister also questioned the rationale behind the SP's objection to simply displaying names at food establishments.
"If you are selling food, then what is the problem with writing the name? Only because of their appeasement politics, people of Samajwadi Party are giving such absurd statements, which is very sad, and the people of the state will never forgive them," he said.
Pathak reiterated that the BJP government is committed to maintaining law and order and will ensure the peaceful conduct of all religious events.
"Samajwadi Party wants to throw the state into the fire of riots by creating differences on the basis of caste and religion. We will maintain law and order in the state in every situation and, respecting all religions, we will ensure that all religious ceremonies, including the Kanwar Yatra, are conducted safely," he said.
This year, the month of Sawan begins on July 11 and will continue till August 9. The Kanwar Yatra, in which Shiva devotees travel long distances on foot to fetch holy Ganga water, will commence on July 11 and conclude with Sawan's Shivratri on July 23.
To bolster security and hygiene, authorities in UP, Uttarakhand, and Delhi have issued directives requiring all food and beverage outlets along the Kanwar route to display the name of the shopkeeper, employee details, and the shop's license information prominently.
--IANS
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