Congress leaders must not take Yogi’s path

It is surprising that the Congress government of Himachal Pradesh seemed to be following in the path of UP’s Yogi Adityanath government on a matter that was communal and discriminatory against the minority community. The Himachal government has now withdrawn its controversial decision mandating food outlets to display the names and addresses of their owners, but the very fact that such a decision was taken was problematic. Last week, Himachal’s PWD and Urban Development Minister Vikramaditya Singh made the announcement and explained that it was part of a policy on street-vending. It is not clear whether it was a government decision or only the minister had a role in it. The Sukhvinder Singh Sukku government has said there is no such policy. The party high command has disowned it, and Himachal Congress has also said that. Senior party leader T S Singh Deo has termed the decision reprehensible and discriminatory.

The Congress had vehemently opposed and criticised a similar decision by the Yogi government during the Kanwar Yatra some weeks ago. A UP police order asked eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners, ostensibly to promote transparency and informed choice of Kanwariyas on the food they eat. But it was seen to be targeting Muslim-owned businesses. The Supreme Court put a stay on it but the Yogi government has sought to persist with it on bogus pretexts. It said that verification is necessary to check food contamination and the consumer must know the names and addresses of the proprietors and managers. It still does not explain why the name, caste and religion of the person who runs an eatery are needed to check hygiene at the pace. The BJP and the Yogi government have continued to defend the policy because it is part of the divisive and discriminatory policy they have continued to practise.

To be seen as favouring and practising a discriminatory policy can only do harm to the Congress. It has in recent times, especially after the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi, sought to emphasise its legacy of an inclusive policy that treats all citizens equally and opposes discrimination against the minorities, though it has sometimes tried to appeal to the majoritarian sentiment and was silent or evasive on matters that have communal dimensions. This may have arisen out of the anxiety to ensure that it does not lose the support of the majority in a polarised environment. The Himachal minister’s announcement came a few days after a rare communal event in the state, which had sparked off tensions. The party has done well to make it clear that it is strong on its secular policy but the Himachal incident shows that it is facing tests from inside too.