- At the best of times, Indian citizens are aware of how the country witnesses polarization based on labyrinthine caste lines greatly accentuated by the ever-eager political parties and leaders wishing to fish in the troubled waters. The political class aims to further consolidate the assiduously built vote banks and create even more fissures in the already sensitively positioned social harmony. The communal versus secular narrative has spread so wide and deep across the large swathe of land that some of the major national and regional parties have aligned with one or the other suiting their requirements. Of course, there are two major national parties and two alliances occupying the ruling and opposition places at the firmament.
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- As is their wont, every political party wishing to consolidate its hold on the electorate keeps whipping up an emotionally surcharged atmosphere among the gullible citizens. The newest trend sweeping across the country is to identify an eatery serving dishes by mentioning their religion/faith. This is simply unacceptable in a democratic country renowned for upholding the virtues of the Constitutionally guaranteed rights irrespective of caste, creed, class, religion, and ethnicity. Look at what happened in Uttar Pradesh during the Kanwar Yatra asking the eateries to identify the owners. Even Himachal Pradesh followed suit by asking the eateries to identify. Thankfully, HP has put on hold the order.
- Now, the UP govt should know the impact will be on social rift, not hygiene. After a rap from the Congress high command, the HP government did well to put a pause on its ill-advised step to get eateries and vendors to put up their identities. But in UP, the Yogi govt has yet to hit pause in its insistence on verification of owners and workers in the food sector, formal, and informal. Plenty, going by the UP govt that believes posting identities of owners, especially of dhabas, vends, and restaurants, in semi-permanent premises – which together make up the informal food sector – will help curb food adulteration. This is the second instance the UP has raised such a demand after an identical call – albeit for a different reason – in July during Kanwar Yatra.
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- SC had stayed that order, saying food laws require menus to be displayed, and food to be correctly labelled, that the case was one of safety, standard, and secularism. But doubling down now, UP has called for the regulatory rules to be amended to make posting of the names mandatory. In a society so stratified – by caste, religion, and region – governments insisting on such potentially exclusionary criteria of identities being displayed can not only impact access to livelihoods but also deepen fault lines. UP govt raised the issue following the alleged adulteration of Tirupati prasad. Adulteration is a big deal and govts are right to be alert to the extent of the problem. No new laws or rules are required. Enforcement is key if hygiene is the focus. Set aside politics aside, please.
