Both Muslim and Hindu owners ask staff to leave, small dhabas fear revenues will fall

MUZAFFARNAGAR (UP):For the past seven years, Brijesh Pal, a daily wage labourer, has been working at a roadside dhaba in Muzaffarnagar’s Khatauli area during the two months of Shravan to help its Muslim owner manage the huge influx of customers, mostly the Kanwariyas.

For his work he was paid 400-600 rupees and at least two meals a day.

This year, however, his employer, Mohammad Arsalan, has asked him to look for other work as he cannot afford to hire additional staff. He expects his income to fall due to the Uttar Pradesh government’s order for owners of hotels, restaurants, food stalls and eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners on their establishments.

After the Muzaffarnagar police issued the order, the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday extended the controversial order to the entire state. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said similar instructions were already in force in his state.

The measure has become a controversy, with opposition parties, civil society organisations and even leaders of some government alliances criticising it.

“It was a good source of income because in this season it is very difficult to find other work. In the rainy season there is not much construction and farming work, so I could not work as a labourer,” Pal told PTI.

“I started working at the dhaba a week ago, but now the owner has asked me to find work elsewhere,” he said.

Small fruit vendors and dhabas fear that their income will fall severely due to the measure.

Arsalan, the owner of the dhaba, fears that Kanwariyas will not eat at his place because of his Muslim name.

“My dhaba is called Baba ka Dhaba, like every third dhaba on this route. More than half of my staff are Hindus. We serve only vegetarian food here and even avoid using garlic and onion during Shravan (monsoon).

“However, as the owner, I had to show my name. I have also decided to change the name of the dhaba. I fear that Kanwariyas will not come to eat at my place after seeing a Muslim name,” he said.

“Given the limited size of my business, I cannot afford to hire additional staff this year,” Arsalan explains.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of Shiva devotees, called Kanwariyas, visit Haridwar during the Kanwar Yatra during the ‘Shravan’ (monsoon) to fetch water from the Ganga.

The measure will not only affect the income of Muslim owners and their staff, but also Muslim staff working in restaurants owned by Hindu owners.

Animesh Tyagi, owner of a roadside restaurant just outside the main market in Khatauli, said: “A Muslim used to work at the tandoor in my restaurant. But because of this problem, I asked him to leave. Because people can create an issue out of it. We don’t want any problems here.”

Tyagi said he hired another man, this time a Hindu, to work at the tandoor.

Several other ‘dhaba’ owners also complained about the lack of specific instructions in the government order on how names should be displayed at their establishments.

“The government has issued an order but has not done anything specific yet. There are no guidelines on the size and font in which the owner’s name should be written,” said Deepak Pandit, who runs a tea stall along the Kanwar Yatra route in the district.

People have contacted local government and even the elected representatives of their area.

Madan Bhaiya, RLD MLA from Khatauli constituency, said he has also received complaints from local eateries affected by the recent move.

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) is currently an alliance partner of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

“It appears that the recent order to publish names has been issued in haste. It is especially hurting the poor daily wage earners and small shopkeepers,” the MLA said.

He said he is working with his workers on the ground to help those affected. “Our ideology is against any form of discrimination based on religion and caste,” he added.

Bhuwan Joshi, a district unit member of the Samajwadi Party, said the move is aimed at polarising the society.

He said, “A stretch of over 240 kilometres of the route taken by Kanwariyas passes through Muzaffarnagar district. Thousands of small restaurants and food stalls are located along this route. This order will affect everyone working there.”

“Unfortunately, it appears that the measure is merely an attempt to polarise the society on the basis of religion, under the leadership of the state government,” Joshi said.

Despite mounting criticism, state governments have defended the order, saying it will ensure that there is no law and order situation and that there is no confusion among Kanwariyas. The order was being followed voluntarily, district police said.