Lucknow, July 3 -- The UP government's move to make it mandatory for all shops along the Kanwar Yatra route to have proper licenses and clearly display the owner's original name has come in for criticism from the opposition.

However, the state government has defended the move, with senior minister Sanjay Nishad saying that the accusation holds no weight.

Nishad said, "The party whose nameplate the public has torn down and thrown away, that party's words hold no weight... Our government makes decisions for the welfare of the public, which is why the public stands with us..."

Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, said that every buyer had the right to know who they were purchasing things from.

"The Samajwadi Party always engages in ap...