Kanwar Yatra: UP govt cleared 'confusion', shouldn't be turned into communal issue: Naqvi

Senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Friday, 19 July, claimed the Yogi Adityanath government has cleared the "confusion" arising out of the Muzaffarnagar Police order asking eateries on the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners' names and said it has now given a guideline for the sanctity of the pilgrimage.

Naqvi, who had criticised the Muzaffarnagar Police order last night, lauded the state government's directive, saying this order is for the sanctity, reverence and safety of the Kanwar Yatra.

Days after the Muzaffarnagar Police asked all eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners' names, the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday extended the controversial order across the state.

The order issued on Monday has been slammed by the opposition parties and members of the ruling alliance, who say it targets the Muslim traders.

"The state government has corrected the confusion arising from a guideline of the local administration and has issued guidelines for everyone for the safety, respect and reverence of Kanwar Yatra and pilgrims," he said.

"This order is for the sanctity, reverence and safety of the Kanwar Yatra, there is no scope for creating any kind of communal confusion on this, the safety and harmony of the society is the collective responsibility of all of us, any kind of communal conflict is not in interest of country or any community," the former minority affairs minister said.

Naqvi said communal conspiracies should not be allowed to succeed and that is our collective nation duty.

In the backdrop of the Muzaffarnagar Police order asking eateries on the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners' names, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Thursday said it may spread the "disease of untouchability".

In an apparent reference to the order, Naqvi said on X, "Kuch ati-utsahi adhikariyon ke aadesh hadbadi mein gadbadi wali... asprishyata ki bimari ko badhawa de sakte hain... astha ka samman hona chahiye, par asprishyata ka sanrakshan nahi hona chahiye (the hasty orders of some overzealous officials may spread the disease of untouchability...Faith must be respected, but untouchability must not be encouraged)."

In another post, Naqvi also hit out at some online trolls for his earlier post.

"Don't give me a certificate of respect and devotion for Kanwar Yatra, I always believe that 'no faith should be hostage to intolerance and untouchability'," Naqvi said in Hindi on X.

He also posted a throwback picture of him participating in the Kanwar Yatra.