The Uttar Pradesh government’s directive to eateries along the Kanwar Yatra – a pilgrimage undertaken by Lord Shiva devotees – to display the names of proprietors exemplifies unnecessary state intervention. The order has been stayed for now by the Supreme Court. The state police had originally issued the directive, stating it would avoid “confusion” among the faithful. It had to make compliance voluntary after opposition parties and even allies of the ruling party in the state criticized it as communal dog-whistling. Copycat moves by the Uttarakhand government and the Ujjain local government will only normalize such divisive actions in the name of faith.
Policing small businesses in the name of faith is not just discriminatory but also undermines people’s confidence in the state. The UP government has been over-enthusiastic in portraying itself as a champion of the majority faith. The BJP government under Yogi Adityanath’s leadership has consistently targeted the minority Muslim community. A few years ago, it banned the sale of meat and non-vegetarian food along the Kanwar routes, citing the religious sentiments of the pilgrims. Such orders adversely affect the business interests of the minority. The government should refrain from interfering in religious matters and instead focus on governance. The actions of the UP government predominantly favor the majority and harm the interests of the minority population. Instead of focusing on governance, they are damaging the social fabric of society by engaging in divisive communal politics.