Sep 25, 2024 08:50 PM IST
The UP government reviving its nameplate order for eateries has little to do with foodsafety, more to do with the politics of polarisation
Names in India are, more often than not, markers of religion and caste, two fault lines that often polarise society and disrupt social harmony. The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government’s move to revive a controversial diktat to eateries and shops selling food items to display the names of proprietors and employees must be seen against this backdrop. On July 22, the Supreme Court ruled against the implementation of such a directive issued by the state police to establishments along the Kanwar Yatra route — it said the police was not the “competent authority” to issue orders regarding food preferences. The state government has now sought to restore the same demand as a part of “measures against adulteration”.
The connection between food standards at an eatery and proprietor/employee details is non-existent, so several questions arise regarding the intent behind the move. Given how it lends itself to an engineered division between communities, it is likely to be useful only for the politics of polarisation, and not the governance matter of food safety and standards. The move is also likely to impact the state’s appeal to capital and talent. Even as it is keen to project itself as a preferred investment destination, the signal to businesses from such a move will be that the government is game for segregation and discrimination along communal lines.
In calling for an amendment of the Food Safety and Standards Act to encode such discrimination, that too, by citing unsubstantiated allegations of vendors contaminating food served with bodily fluids, the UP government is setting a dangerous precedent. Food has become a frontier of polarisation in the state, and indeed, the country, with the Hindu Right-wing’s multifold attacks on dietary preferences, be it the consumption of beef, the sale of non-vegetarian food during Hindu festivals, or even halal certification. It has already spurred a copycat move in Himachal Pradesh, and more states may follow — the UP police’s July order was followed by similar orders in Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh for Kanwar Yatra routes.
Such divisive politics may not even pay electoral dividends, as the general election results from UP this summer showed. Deepening fissures further will only yield rancour that impedes governance and growth — it will impede the UP government’s efforts to rebuild itself as an industrial powerhouse. Let people decide where to eat based on the quality of the food served and the services offered. It is no business of the State to micromanage businesses.
Get Current Updates on…
See more
