New Delhi: Himachal Pradesh minister Vikramaditya Singh was summoned to Delhi and reprimanded by the Congress leadership on Thursday (September 26) after his department issued a contentious order mandating food outlets across the state to display the name and address of their owners, sparking widespread criticism, Deccan Herald reported. Further, the state government has clarified that “no decision” has been taken on the name display matter yet.
As per the report, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was upset with Singh and instructed him to refrain from making further comments on the issue. Singh, who heads the public works department and urban development ministry, has been asked not to make any such remark on “sensitive issues” without the government’s consent.
When asked about the meeting with Singh, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal told ANI:
“I strongly convey the sentiments of the Congress party. No minister or party functionary cannot go against the party policies and ideologies. Rahul Gandhi is spreading love and affection against hatred. Congress president Mallikarjun Khargeji is also talking about love and affection among people. We cannot create hatred anywhere. We believe in togetherness. We told him [Singh] very clearly that Congress ideology and Congress policies are very clear on these lines. We have to go with that.”
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Meanwhile, Singh defended his move in an interview with India Today after reports surfaced suggesting that he was reprimanded by the party leadership.
“I don’t see any controversy… Whatever I have stated, I have stated on the basis of directives given by the high court, Supreme Court, and the Act that is already in place in Himachal Pradesh,” Singh said.
Notably, the Congress party had previously condemned a similar policy implemented by the Uttar Pradesh government during the Kanwar Yatra. The Supreme Court, however, put a stay on the controversial Adityanath government order, which many believed was a blatant act of communal identification and discrimination.
However, as per reports, the Uttar Pradesh government has reintroduced the directive a day before Singh’s announcement and has asked dhabas, eateries and other restaurants to display the names of the owners, managers and others prominently.
Social media users criticised the Congress party’s apparent double standards for following the footsteps of the Adityanath administration. Even party leaders like former Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister T.S. Singhdeo and Congress minority department head Imran Pratapgarhi expressed their displeasure with the move.
The backlash has forced the Himachal Pradesh government to disown the announcement made by Singh.
“So far, [the Himachal Pradesh] government has not taken any decision on mandatory display of nameplates or other identification of owners on their food stalls,” a spokesperson for the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress ministry was quoted as saying by Times of India.
Similarly, Rajeev Shukla, the Himachal Pradesh Congress in-charge, has denied reports that the state government or chief minister Sukhu issued an order mandating street vendors to display their identity. Shukla clarified that he spoke with both Sukhu and Singh, and they confirmed there’s no such order.
