Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Following the introduction of a controversial policy requiring eateries to publicly display the names of all employees, several Muslims have reported job losses and the potential closure of their businesses.
A report in the UK-based The Guardian said on Sunday that this mandate was first implemented in Uttar Pradesh by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the hardline Hindu monk and a prominent figure within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Recently, the Congress party in Himachal Pradesh announced it would also make it compulsory for all names of workers and employees to be put on display.
Both state governments have said it is to ensure compliance with health and safety rules and vending regulations in the north Indian states. However, locals and activists have alleged that the new rules are instead a thinly veiled attack on Muslim workers and establishments.
In a society where names often indicate religious and caste affiliations, there is increasing apprehension among Muslim business owners that the policy could provoke violence or economic boycotts from radical Hindu groups.
“This order is dangerous; it forces us to wear our religion on our sleeve,” Tabish Aalam, a 28-year-old chef from Lucknow, was quoted by The Guardian as saying.
The BJP, which has ruled India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi for nearly a decade, has been accused of fostering an environment of anti-Muslim discrimination.
This story was originally published in clarionindia.net. Read the full story here.