Kerala guv's 'veg-only kitchen' diktat on first day of assuming office sparks row

Kerala Governor Om Prakash Mathur’s reported decision to make the Lok Bhavan kitchen vegetarian-only sparks a row

NEW DELHI: Kerala governor Om Prakash Mathur's reported decision to make the Lok Bhavan kitchen vegetarian-only has sparked a political controversy, with Congress leader K C Venugopal accusing him of pushing the Sangh Parivar's agenda.Mathur directed that non-vegetarian food should not be prepared or served in the Lok Bhavan kitchen. The reports surfaced on Thursday, a day before he assumed office, news agency PTI reported.Reacting to the reports shortly after Mathur was sworn in as the 29th governor of Keralam, AICC general secretary Venugopal alleged that the decision went beyond the governor's personal food preferences and infringed on individual freedom.Keralam has a diverse food culture and abundant fish resources as a coastal state, Venugopal said, adding that people had the freedom to choose between vegetarian and non-vegetarian food."Any attempt to restrict the food habits Keralites are accustomed to or dictate what they should eat from now on cannot be accepted," he said as quoted by PTI.Venugopal argued that restrictions that "intrude" into people's food choices and seek to erase Keralam's traditional way of life violate fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

He alleged that the governor was using his authority to "curtail" individual freedom instead of protecting people's right to decide what to eat and how to live."This is a continuation of the unconstitutional interests of the Sangh Parivar. This is the first step towards implementing the saffron agenda of the Sangh Parivar in Keralam," the Alappuzha MP alleged.

While acknowledging Mathur's right to follow a vegetarian diet, Venugopal said the governor should not impose his personal preferences on the Lok Bhavan kitchen, whose employees include Keralites.

He urged Mathur to withdraw any decision restricting food choices.

What Lok Bhavan sources said

Sources in the governor's office said Mathur was a strict vegetarian and had directed that non-vegetarian food not be prepared in the kitchen where his meals were cooked.They clarified that the kitchen's food was served only to the governor and a few members of his personal staff. Other employees either brought food from home or ate outside, and no restrictions had been imposed on their food choices, the sources said as cited by PTI.They added that fish and meat dishes had been prepared in the Lok Bhavan kitchen during the tenure of some previous governors.