NEW DELHI: Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind chief Maulana Arshad Madani on Saturday slammed as "discriminatory and communal" the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments' order to all eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners' names, and said the Muslim body will examine the legality of the directive.
Maulana Arshad Madani, who heads one of the two factions of the Jamiat, said the order was part of a "new game of politics under the guise of religion".
"This is a completely discriminatory and communal decision, and anti-national elements will get an opportunity to benefit from this," Madani said in a statement.
There is fear of serious damage to communal harmony due to this new decree which violates the fundamental rights of citizens as enshrined in the Constitution, he said.
Madani said the Jamiat has called a meeting of its legal team on Sunday to discuss the legal aspects of this "unconstitutional and illegal" order.
"This is not the first Kanwar yatra, it has been going on for years but never before has a citizen been forced to reveal his religious identity. Rather, during the yatra, it is seen that Muslims have been arranging water and langar for the Kanwar pilgrims," Madani said.
This is the first time that a deliberate attempt has been made to isolate a particular community, and spread discrimination and hatred among citizens, Madani said.
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.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said similar instructions are already in place in his state as well.