Kerala Governor's Vegetarian Food Directive Sparks Political Controversy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A directiVE by that only vegetarian food be cooked in the Lok Bhavan kitchen has triggered a political controversy on the very day of his swearing-in on Friday, with the Congress and the CPM accusing him of seeking to impose dietary restrictions. The Lok Bhavan, however, maintained that the instruction applied only to the kitchen preparing food exclusively for the Governor and his family and did not cover those meant for staff or visitors. AICC general secretary K C Venugopal was among the first to raise the issue, alleging that the move was part of an attempt to impose the Sangh Parivar’s ideological agenda in Keralam. “People here have traditionally followed both vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets. Any attempt to impose restrictions on the food habits Malayalis have grown accustomed to, or dictate what they should eat, cannot be accepted,” Venugopal said in a statement. Describing the move as the “first step towards implementing the Sangh Parivar’s saffron agenda in Keralam”, Venugopal said the governor was using his authority to curtail individual freedom. Home Minister and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala also criticised the reported instruction, asserting that every citizen had the right to decide what to wear, eat and say. “I do not understand why the governor would interfere in these matters. This is not right, and he should rectify it,” Chennithala said. CPM state secretary M V Govindan said the choice of what to eat was a personal matter and that the governor was free to eat vegetarian food if that was his preference. However, he had no right to insist that everyone at Lok Bhavan follow a vegetarian diet, Govindan said. He also alleged that the move to exclude non-vegetarian food was part of the Sangh Parivar’s agenda and said personal preferences should not be imposed on others. Lok Bhavan sources, meanwhile, clarified that the instruction did not extend to kitchens serving staff or visitors. “Staff have a separate kitchen in the residential quarters within the Lok Bhavan estate, where they are free to cook food of their choice. The governor’s instruction was solely about his own food preferences and, as an individual, he has the right to make that choice,” a Lok Bhavan source said.