As a directive requiring eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners, purportedly to clarify their religion, was adopted by other districts in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, more NDA allies expressed their discomfort over the issue.

During an interaction with editors of news agency PTI, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan stated his disagreement with the advisory, initially issued by the Muzaffarnagar police. “It is every government’s responsibility to work for the poor, which includes all sections of society such as Dalits, backward classes, upper castes, and Muslims as well,” said Paswan, a Union minister. “Whenever there is such a divide in the name of caste or religion, I absolutely do not support or encourage it. I do not think any educated young person of my age, irrespective of their caste or religion, is affected by such things.”

The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), a BJP ally strong in western UP, including Muzaffarnagar, said it will raise objections with both the Central and state governments, of which it is a part.

RLD national secretary Anupam Mishra told The Indian Express, “Firstly, our party’s stand is that if a decision impacts a large section of people, the government should reconsider it. Secondly, the timing is wrong. As per food safety regulations, every eatery must display its name and product details. If the police order is to be implemented, it should distinguish between vegetarian and non-vegetarian with red or green symbols, like on food packets. Our country has people from different communities, and harmony must be maintained.”

Mishra added, “We have a share in the UP government, and our minister will meet Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. We will also raise this issue at the Centre and in the state.”

The RLD had previously told The Indian Express that it did not see the need for such a directive.

Meanwhile, the BJP continued to defend the order, stating that the same directive was in place last year. Former Union minister Sanjeev Balyan, who was an MP from Muzaffarnagar, accused the Samajwadi Party of trying to stoke a communal divide. “The directive by the Muzaffarnagar police is nothing new; the same orders were in force last year too,” he said.

Sangeet Som, the former BJP MLA from Sardhana in Meerut, also defended the advisory. “The devotees in the yatra have every right to know who is selling the food they are consuming. There have been numerous reports and videos of people from a particular community defiling food during weddings.”

Dhruv Kant Thakur, Additional DGP of the Meerut Zone, said, “The order to display owners’ names on eateries and roadside carts was also implemented last year. The orders are meant to ensure peace and law and order.”

Following criticism, the Muzaffarnagar police issued a revised order stating that displaying the names of owners was voluntary. The notice mentioned, “During the holy month of Shravan, many people, especially Kanwariyas, abstain from certain food items. In the past, some food sellers on the Kanwar Yatra route named their shops in a way that created confusion among the yatris, leading to a law and order situation. To avoid this, owners and proprietors of hotels, dhabas, and other food item sellers along the route were requested to display the names of their owners and workers voluntarily.”

The notice clarified, “The intent of this order is not to create religious differences but to facilitate the convenience of devotees. Such an order has also been prevalent in the past.”

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra called for the advisory to be withdrawn immediately and for action against the officials behind it. She posted on X, “The divisive order in UP to put up name boards on kiosks, shops, and carts is against the Constitution, our democracy, and our shared heritage.”

Ramashish Rai, the UP chief of the RLD, described the directive as “an anti-Constitutional move” and demanded its immediate withdrawal. Congress MP from Saharanpur, Imran Masood, said the directive would only spread hatred and called for strict action against the officers behind it.

SP Muzaffarnagar MP Harendra Malik warned that such directives could bring violence to a town with a history of communal amity before the 2013 riots.

Jamaiat Ulema-e-Hind president Maulana Mahmood Madani likened the directive to historical untouchability faced by Dalits, suggesting an attempt to similarly marginalize Muslims. Madani warned of the “far-reaching ramifications” of the move, stating, “It will empower forces seeking the economic boycott of Muslims and provide opportunities to anti-national elements.”

Madani emphasized that Muslims have always respected the beliefs and practices of the Kanwariyas and have never caused them any harm.