Newly appointed Keralam Governor Om Prakash Mathur has directed that only vegetarian food be prepared in the Lok Bhavan kitchen, drawing sharp criticism from Congress leader KC Venugopal, who accused the move of reflecting the "unconstitutional interests" of the Sangh Parivar.
Sources in the governor's office, said that Mathur is a strict vegetarian and had instructed that non-vegetarian food should not be prepared in the kitchen where his meals are cooked. They maintained that there was no restriction on the food choices of other Lok Bhavan employees.
Mathur, who assumed office on Friday, had allegedly directed that non-vegetarian dishes should not be prepared or served in the Lok Bhavan kitchen.
Shortly after Mathur was sworn in, Venugopal said in a statement that the governor had gone too far by deciding that only vegetarian food should be prepared in the kitchen.
He said Keralam had a mixed food culture and, as a coastal state, abundant fish resources. People in the state had the freedom to follow vegetarian or non-vegetarian diets, he added.
"Any attempt to restrict the food habits Keralites are accustomed to or dictate what they should eat from now on cannot be accepted," Venugopal said.
He said restrictions that “intrude” into food choices and seek to erase the traditional way of life of Keralites violated the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
Venugopal 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. He also alleged that the new governor was using his authority to “curtail” individual freedom.
"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.
Venugopal said there should be no restriction on Mathur following his vegetarian diet. However, he said it was unacceptable to require 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 any action that restricted it, he said. Venugopal also said the governor's constitutional position required him to protect the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, including the freedom to cook and eat food of one's choice.
Lok Bhavan sources told news agency PTI that food prepared in the kitchen 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, they said.
The sources added that fish and meat dishes had been allowed to be prepared in the Lok Bhavan kitchen during the tenure of some previous governors.
Mathur was sworn in as the 29th Governor of Keralam at a ceremony at Lok Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram 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.
Venugopal has asked Mathur to withdraw any restriction on food choices, while the governor's office has maintained that the instruction applies only to the kitchen preparing meals for Mathur and some members of his personal staff, and does not affect other employees.
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