The Uttar Pradesh government, in its reply to Supreme Court, has said that the instructions issued by the state were made following complaints received from Kanwadis regarding confusion caused by the names of shops and eateries. The Supreme Court on Monday imposed an interim stay on the controversial Kanwar Yatra directives in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand related to eateries, prompting the opposition parties to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to restrain BJP chief ministers from taking "unconstitutional" decisions. The top court heard a batch of pleas including those by TMC MP Mahua Moitra, academician Apoorvanand Jha, columnist Aakar Patel, and NGO Association of Protection of Civil Rights challenging the directives.
The Yogi Adityanath government in its reply said, "The instructions issued by the state were made following complaints received from Kanwadis regarding confusion caused by the names of shops and eateries. On receiving such complaints, police officers took action to address the concerns of the pilgrims and maintain law and order."
"The UP government has said that the state has not imposed any restrictions or prohibitions on the trade or business of food vendors (except the ban on selling non-vegetarian food), and they are free to conduct their business normally. The requirement to display the names and identities of the owners is merely an additional measure to ensure transparency and avoid any possible confusion among Kanwadis," it added.
Devotees from various places on Monday started their travel with 'kanwars' carrying holy water from the Ganga to perform 'jalabhishek' of shivlings during the Hindu calendar month of 'Shravan'. Many believers shun consuming meat during the holy month. On the first Monday of the auspicious month, devotees also offered prayers to Lord Shiv at various temples across the country.
