Srinagar: The People's Democratic Party chief, Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday attacked the Uttar Pradesh government for having issued the directive for food shops on the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners' names, and said that the BJP wants to finish the rights of Muslims, Dalits and of other sections.
Addressing a press conference today, Mufti said, "Our Constitution gives equal rights and it does not discriminate against anyone. They (BJP) are violating the Constitution. Rahul Gandhi rightly said that if they cross 400 (seats in Lok Sabha elections) then they are going to destroy the Constitution. These people came down from 350 to 240 but still they did not learn the lesson."
"I think the people who voted for them in this election must have got the hint that they want to destroy the Constitution at any cost. They want to finish the rights of Muslims, Dalits and then other sections because they want to create a different system here," she added.
Further, the PDP chief said that she is happy that everyone is raising their voice on the issue.
"I am happy that everyone is raising their voice on this and Modi ji should also tell whether he is supporting this thing or not," Mufti said.
Amid the row in Uttar Pradesh, the Haridwar Police Administration also issued an order for restaurant owners to display names on the Kanwar Yatra route.
Samajwadi Party chief and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav also criticised the move and urged the court to take suo-motto cognizance on the matter.
He labelled such orders as "social crimes," and said such orders can deteriorate the peaceful environment of the region.
Earlier, Muzaffarnagar Police said that the police have urged all the eateries to "voluntarily display" the names of their owners and employees, adding that the intention of this order is not to create any kind of "religious discrimination" but only to facilitate the devotees.
"During the Shravan Kanwar Yatra, a large number of Kanwariyas from neighbouring states, via Western Uttar Pradesh, collect water from Haridwar and pass through Muzaffarnagar district. During the holy month of Shravan, many people, especially Kanwariyas, abstain from certain food items in their diet," the Muzaffarnagar police stated.
"In the past, such instances have come to light where some shopkeepers selling all types of food items on Kanwar Marg named their shops in such a way that it created confusion among the Kanwariyas and created a law and order situation. To prevent such a recurrence and in view of the faith of the devotees, hotels, dhabas and shopkeepers selling food items on Kanwar Marg have been requested to voluntarily display the names of their owners and employees. The intention of this order is not to create any kind of religious discrimination but only to facilitate the devotees passing through Muzaffarnagar district, counter allegations and save the law and order situation. This system has been prevalent in the past, too," it added.
—ANI