Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Jayant Chaudhary, a BJP ally, has ridiculed the Yogi Adityanath government for its order mandating shopkeepers and hawkers along the Kanwar Yatra route to write their names in bold on the outlets and suggested that the diktat should be withdrawn.

“What name should they write on McDonald’s and Burger King outlets? Will you also expect the shopkeepers to write their names on their shirts so that it becomes easy for you (the kanwariyas) to shake hands with them or decide whether to hug or not to hug them?” Jayant said.

Jayant, an ally of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, was talking to reporters in Muzaffarnagar on Sunday.

“Do the devotees mention their names on their attires?” he asked the reporters and added: “This is because a devotee is known as a devotee of God only. Connecting such devotion with a religion or caste is wrong. It appears that the government didn’t think much before deciding to force the shopkeepers to mention their names on their stores or eateries. It is still not too late. The (Uttar Pradesh) government has time to withdraw the order issued in haste,” he said.

Arguing that the issue initially revolved around non-vegetarian eateries along the route, the RLD chief said: “A Muslim can be a vegetarian and a Hindu can be a non-vegetarian. Taking such a decision based on a half-baked survey is wrong.”

Sources in the RLD said Jayant has been warned about the possible erosion of his vote bank in western Uttar Pradesh because of the order.

“We had suggested to him to make a statement against the order five days ago but he remained silent till Sunday when barely 24 hours are left for the Kanwar Yatra to start. A major chunk of the region’s Muslims vote for the RLD but he annoyed them by joining hands with the BJP. We are unsure if his statement on Sunday was based on any actual concern,” said an RLD leader in Lucknow.

The yatra will continue for a month from July 22 but the majority of the devotees will complete it by August 2, which is the most auspicious period for them to carry water from the Ganga and offer it to Shiva in a temple of their choice.

Maulana Arshad Madani, head of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, met some lawyers in Saharanpur and said he was weighing legal options against the order.

“There are a large number of Muslim shopkeepers, restaurant owners and hawkers on the route but they have always respected the kanwariyas. Still, the government is mistreating them,” said Madani.

Mahua in SC

Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra has moved the Supreme Court against the directives by the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments that eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route must display the names of their owners, PTI reported.

In her plea, Moitra has sought a stay on the orders, saying such directives aggravate discord between communities.

The plea is yet to be listed for hearing.