Adityanath’s proposed new law against food adulteration gets cautious welcome from opposition – ThePrint – PTIFeed

Lucknow, Oct 16 (PTI) The Yogi Adityanath government’s plan to introduce a strict law aimed at controlling food adulteration received a cautious welcome from the BJP’s political rivals, barring the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), who called the proposal “divisive.”

“These people want to divide people. We defend brotherhood but they want to destroy it. Nobody does all these acts (adulteration of food),” Uttar Pradesh BSP chief Vishwanath Pal told PTI.

“The move is good, I don’t see any problem with it as long as it is not misused,” said Saharanpur Congress MP Imran Masood.

“In fact, just today I read in a newspaper that a domestic helper had mixed urine with food at her workplace. So only sick minds carry out 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 MP Sambhal Zia-Ur-Rahman Barq too, while claiming that the UP BJP government had got its priorities wrong, seemed to be on the same page as the Congress on the issue.

“This is not a religious issue. The government comes up with this propaganda to hide its failures and distract people from important issues like health and development. But this is not to defend those adulterating foods. The strictest possible measures should be taken against these people,” he said, hoping that these “incidents of food adulteration” would not be highlighted for mere political gains.

On Tuesday, the Yogi Adityanath government unveiled plans to introduce a new law against vendors who “hide their identity” and mix human waste or inedible material into food and drink, making such acts cognizable and non-bailable a once the proposed ordinance is promulgated.

Subsequently, food vendors will be required to place a sign with their names outside restaurants and outlets.

The Adityanath government’s move comes two months after the Supreme Court stayed its directive requiring restaurants on Kanwar Yatra routes to display the names of their owners, staff and other details. The BJP government’s order had drawn criticism from opposition parties, including the SP and the Congress.

Ramashish Rai, the UP chief of BJP’s ally Rashtriya Lok Dal, felt there was nothing “new” in the move.

“There is nothing new as the provisions to display the details of the owners of any food establishment are already there.” Rai also tried to disassociate the movement with “religion”. The BJP also said the issue should not be politicized as it is related to health and safety and stressed that the menace of food adulteration affects everyone.

“This is not a political issue, it is a health, safety and sanitation problem. Everyone has seen gruesome videos of people mixing urine with juice, mixing spit in roti or other impurities in food. That is why Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath decided to ensure that these things end,” UP BJP spokesperson Manish Shukla said.

“Once the move is made, CCTVs should be placed at places where food is stored. And no one would be able to work in these restaurants or outlets hiding their identity,” added Shukla.

Meanwhile, National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) Uttar Pradesh chapter president Varun Khera also welcomed the move.

Khera hoped that a format would soon be issued so that there is uniformity in displaying the names and other identities of investors and operators of an establishment.

UP NRAI, which Khera heads, has about 1,500 members among popular national and international brands.

“I don’t think there is any problem with this move. We follow all the rules and guidelines and get various certifications to sell food,” Khera told PTI while stressing the need to regulate hawkers and street food vendors and train – them about food hygiene. PTI KIS ZIR MAN RT

This report is automatically generated from the PTI news service. ThePrint is not responsible for its content.