Shiv Sena UBT slams all-vegetarian BRICS menu, calls it dietary imposition
text_fields
Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) on Thursday criticised the Centre over the all-vegetarian menu served to foreign delegates at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, alleging that it amounted to imposing dietary preferences on international guests.
In an editorial published in its mouthpiece Saamana, the party said food choices were a matter of personal freedom and should not be dictated by governments or political organisations.
The editorial objected to the gala dinner hosted at Bharat Mandapam on September 12, where leaders of the expanded 11-member BRICS grouping were served an exclusively vegetarian menu.
Describing the move as an imposition of dietary preferences on world leaders, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party argued that whether people choose vegetarian or non-vegetarian food is a matter of personal freedom and that neither governments nor political parties should dictate such choices.
The menu included Khandvi, Mushroom Kebabs, Paneer Lababdar, Millet Pulao, Gujarati-style Dhokli Bele Saru (tomato-dal curry), Jalebi and Phirni.
Also Read:Maratha quota: Jarange Patil ends 20-day fast after govt assurances
The editorial described the spread as forcing guests to consume "grass and wild greens". "Eighty per cent of the world's population, including most of the visiting delegates, eats non-vegetarian food. What did the Modi government achieve by imposing vegetarianism on them? It made India a laughing stock on the global stage," it said.
The editorial compared the BRICS gala dinner with lavish Indian weddings, saying the recent wedding of Supriya Sule's daughter Revati and weddings hosted by high-profile industrialists featured superior and more appetising cuisine.
It said iconic Delhi dishes such as Karim's non-vegetarian preparations, Tandoori Chicken, Biryani and Butter Chicken, along with Goan Fish Curry, Kolhapuri Pandhra-Tambda Rassa and Malvani Fish, would have left international guests more satisfied.
Rejecting the argument that the vegetarian menu reflected the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace, the party pointed out that Gandhi never imposed his personal dietary choices on others.
The editorial cited historical examples to support its argument. It said that when Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and his family visited Sevagram Ashram in Wardha, a separate kitchen was set up outside the main premises to prepare non-vegetarian meals for them.
It also referred to former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, a strict teetotaller, saying that during a state visit to Russia, he respected local diplomatic traditions by allowing vodka to be poured into his glass for toasts and raising the glass without drinking.
Also Read:From cow vigilantism to mob justice: a decade of lynching in India
The editorial further noted that when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Mahabalipuram, the menu included a variety of non-vegetarian delicacies and specialised chefs were brought in from different parts of the country.
The party alleged that the ruling government and organisations aligned with it were pursuing a broader campaign to alter India's diverse food culture.
It cited the handover of mid-day meal contracts in schools to organisations such as ISKCON and alleged that eggs had been removed from children's diets.
The editorial also referred to discrimination faced by non-vegetarians in housing in cities such as Mumbai, describing such practices as a crime.
Concluding with a political attack, the editorial said individual dietary preference was a personal choice and alleged that while the government indulged in the "non-vegetarianism of corruption", it denied people their fish and chicken.
"PM Modi and his followers may prefer Khichdi, while others prefer Biryani. No party or sect has the right to destroy our rich food culture," it said.
With IANS inputs