Kanwar row: Yogi is squandering mandate to become Hindutva icon

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath seems to believe that Hindutva is a panacea—at least for the political problems afflicting him. This is the reason that he has decided to communalize the Kanwar Yatra this year. His government issued a directive stipulating shops, eateries, etc., to clearly display the names of their owners and employees.

The order affects small businesses across a vast swath of the yatra route in western UP. Quite expectedly, the obnoxious order has triggered angry reaction not only from Opposition leaders but also politicians who are Bharatiya Janata Party allies.

Union Minister and LJP president Chirag Paswan opposed the UP government;s decision. He told a news agency that he would “never support or encourage” any divide in the name of caste or religion.

Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Jayant Choudhary also has similar views: “It seems that the order was taken without much thought and the government is adamant on it because the decision has been taken.”

JD (U) general secretary K.C. Tyagi pointed out that a bigger Kanwar Yatra takes place in Bihar and Jharkhand, but such orders are issued there. “It is against PM Modi’s description of Indian society and his credo of ‘sabka saath sabka vicar.’ It would be good if the UP government reconsidered it.”

Local Muslim traders are aghast. On a busy road in Muzaffarnagar, the owner of Kashif Confectionery, Furkan, expressed his dismay to The Times Of India. “We never consider whether a shopkeeper is Hindu or Muslim when we celebrate Ramzan and Eid. Why are we being asked to disclose our identity now? Many customers may just turn away upon seeing my shop’s name.”

Mohammad Irshad, who runs Shri Khatu Shyam Tourist Dhaba in Bijnor, reportedly said, “The irony is that the order will hurt both communities. My establishment serves pure vegetarian food, and my employees are Hindus. If customers see my name, footfall will decrease, and we will suffer losses regardless of our faith. Business must not be dragged into communal politics.”

But then the Yogi government’s idea was never to help the Hindus in the first place; it was to present the Chief Minister as the poster boy of Hindutva. Such posturing is something the BJP high command—Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah—is not comfortable with.

To be sure, Yogi has done well in improving the law and order situation in the state. It is sad that, instead of building on that success and focusing on economic development and governance, he is frittering away his resources and mandate to burnish his Hindutva image.