In the backdrop of the Muzaffarnagar police's order asking eateries on the Kanwar yatra route to display their owners' names, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Thursday said it may spread the "disease of untouchability".

In an apparent reference to the orders, Naqvi said on X, "Kuch ati-utsahi adhikariyon ke  aadesh hadbadi mein gadbadi wali... asprishyata  ki bimari  ko  badhawa  de  sakte hain... astha  ka samman hona chahiye, par asprishyata ka sanrakshan nahi hona chahiye (the hasty orders of some overzealous officials may spread the disease of untouchability...Faith must be respected, but untouchability must not be encouraged)." 

In another post, Naqvi also hit out at some online trolls for his earlier post.

"Don't give me a certificate of respect and devotion for Kanwad Yatra, I always believe that 'no faith should be hostage to intolerance and untouchability'," Naqvi said in Hindi on X.

He also posted a throwback picture of him participating in Kanwar yatra.

However, the BJP, whose government is in power in Uttar Pradesh, defended the Muzaffarnagar police order to all eateries and carts selling eatables to display their names, saying it allows fasting Hindus who may want to eat at a pure vegetarian restaurant, where the likelihood of them being served Satvik food is higher, a choice.

Muzaffarnagar Police chief Abhishek Singh earlier on Monday said, "Preparations of Sawan month have started in the district. About 240 km of Kanwar yatra route falls in the district. All the eateries, including hotels, dhabas and carts, on the route have been asked to display the names of their proprietors or those working on these shops." 

"This has been done to ensure that there should be no confusion among kanwariyas and no law and order situation arises. All are following this voluntarily," he told reporters.