Thiruvananthapuram, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal on Friday strongly criticised the reported decision of new Keralam Governor Om Prakash Mathur to make the Lok Bhavan kitchen strictly vegetarian, alleging that it reflected the "unconstitutional interests" of the Sangh Parivar.
A section of the media reported that Mathur, who assumed office on Friday, had directed that non vegetarian delicacies should not be prepared or served in the Lok Bhavan kitchen. The reports came up in the local media on Thursday.
Responding, sources in the governor's office said Mathur was a strict vegetarian and that's why he had directed to avoid preparing non-vegetarian food in the kitchen. There was no restriction on employees' choice of food, they said.
Shortly after Mathur was sworn in on Friday, Venugopal, in a statement, alleged that the governor had gone too far by deciding that only vegetarian food should be prepared in the kitchen.
Keralam has a mixed food culture, and as a coastal state, has abundant fish resources, he said, adding that people in the state had the freedom to follow vegetarian or non-vegetarian food habits.
"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.
Restrictions that "intrude" into food choices and seek to erase the traditional way of life of Keralites violate the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, Venugopal said.
He alleged that a person holding a constitutional office, who was duty-bound to protect the right to decide what to eat and how to live, was insisting that others follow his own food habits.
The new governor was using his authority to "curtail" individual freedom, he alleged.
"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 Lok Sabha MP alleged.
While saying that there should be no restriction on Mathur following his own vegetarian diet, Venugopal said it was unacceptable to impose restrictions requiring the Lok Bhavan kitchen, whose employees included Keralites, to function according to the governor's personal preferences.
Food freedom was an individual right, and Mathur should withdraw from any action that restricted it, he said.
Venugopal also reminded Mathur that his constitutional position required him to ensure the protection of the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, including the freedom to cook and eat food of one's choice.
Meanwhile, Lok Bhavan sources said Mathur was a strict vegetarian and that's why he had directed to avoid preparing non-vegetarian food in the kitchen where his meals were prepared.
Food prepared in the Lok Bhavan kitchen was served only to the governor and a few members of his personal staff, the sources said.
The other employees either brought food from home or ate outside, and no restrictions had been imposed on their food choices, they added.
During the tenure of some previous governors, fish and meat dishes were allowed to be prepared in the Lok Bhavan kitchen, they said.
Mathur was sworn in as the 29th Governor of Keralam at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan here on Friday. Kerala High Court Chief Justice Soumen Sen administered the oath of office.
Mathur succeeds Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who has been appointed Governor of Tamil Nadu.
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