Lucknow, Oct 16 (PTI) Yogi Adityanath government’s plan to introduce a stringent law aimed at checking food adulteration received a guarded welcome from BJP’s political rivals barring the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) which slammed the proposal as “divisive”.
“These people want to divide the people. We stand for brotherhood but they want to destroy it. Nobody does all these acts (adulteration of food),” BSP’s Uttar Pradesh chief Vishwanath Pal told PTI.
Interestingly, while the BSP opposed the proposed law, which the ruling BJP said is in the works following a spate of viral videos showing people spitting on food items and, in a few cases, even being accused of mixing urine in food items, the main opposition Samajwadi Party and the Congress appeared to back the decision though with a rider that the move shouldn’t be “misused”.
“The move is a good one, I don’t see any problem in it provided it isn’t misused,” said Congress MP from Saharanpur Imran Masood.
“In fact, only today I read in a paper that a domestic help had mixed urine in food at her workplace. So only sick minds undertake such acts and it is good that a law is being thought of to check them,” the Congress leader told reporters in Saharanpur.
Samajwadi Party’s Sambhal MP Zia-Ur-Rahman Barq too, while claiming that the UP BJP government had got its priorities wrong, appeared to be on the same page with the Congress on the subject.
“This isn’t a religious matter. The government brings up such propaganda to hide its failures and distract the people from important issues like health care, and development. But that is not to defend those adulterating food. Strictest possible action needs to be taken against such people,” he said, hoping that such “incidents of food adulteration” are not highlighted for mere political gains.
On Tuesday the Yogi Adityanath government bared plans to introduce a new law against sellers who “hide their identity” and mix human waste or inedible material in food items and beverages making these acts cognisable and non-bailable once the proposed ordinance is promulgated.
Subsequently, food sellers will be mandated to put up a signboard with their names outside the eateries and outlets.
The Adityanath government’s move comes two months after the Supreme Court stayed its directive requiring eateries along the Kanwar Yatra routes to display the names of their owners, staff and other details. The BJP government order had drawn criticism from opposition parties including the SP and the Congress.
BJP ally Rashtriya Lok Dal’s UP chief Ramashish Rai felt that there was nothing “new” about the move.
“There is nothing new about it as the provisions for displaying details of owners of any food establishment are already there.” Rai also sought to delink the move with “religion.” The BJP also said the issue should not be politicised as it is related to health and safety and stressed that the menace of food adulteration affects all.
“This isn’t a political issue, it’s a health issue, a safety and sanitation issue. Everyone has watched horrifying videos of people mixing urine in juice, mixing spit in roti or other impurities in food items. That’s why chief minister Yogi Adityanath decided to ensure that such things end,” UP BJP spokesman Manish Shukla said.
“Once the move comes through, CCTVs would have to be put up at places where food items are stored. And none would be able to work in such eateries or outlets by hiding their identity,” Shukla added.
Meanwhile, Varun Khera, the president of the Uttar Pradesh chapter of the National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI), also welcomed the move.
Khera hoped that a format would be issued soon so that there would be uniformity in the display of names and other identities of investors and operators of an establishment.
UP NRAI, which Khera heads, has around 1,500 members including popular national and international brands.
“I don’t think there is any problem with this move. We follow all norms and guidelines and procure several certifications for selling food,” Khera told PTI while insisting on the need to regulate hawkers and street food vendors and train them about food hygiene. PTI KIS ZIR MAN RT
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