A political row has erupted in West Bengal after reports that eggs will no longer be served in mid-day meals in schools under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra strongly criticised the BJP, accusing it of trying to impose vegetarian food habits on Bengal.
"Our children don't like soya. When we feed it in schools, they don't like soya. So here you are, substituting egg. So what is the reason? If the reason is not cultural and the reason is not to promote vegetarianism, give me one good reason," she told reporters.
Reacting to the controversy, Moitra questioned the decision in a post on social media, asking, “Do Bengalis know what rajma is?” She argued that eggs are an important part of the Bengali diet and a key source of protein for schoolchildren.
Mahua also suggested that the government should instead ask ISKCON to run the MLA canteen in the West Bengal assembly and "eat rajma chawal".
"Why don't you eat rajma chawal? And what is rajma? Do Bengalis know what rajma is? I didn't know what rajma was till I went to Delhi," she was quoted as saying in a video shared by news agency ANI.
"40% of our school going children go to school because that is the one nutritious hot meal of the day... So this is absolute garbage. I would advise these MLAs and all our 65 traitors who have gone, I want them to go back to their own constituencies and explain to their people how they are with these bunch of jokers," she added.
The controversy follows the state government’s decision to hand over the preparation of cooked mid-day meals in KMC run schools under the PM POSHAN scheme to ISKCON, which serves only vegetarian food. This led to concerns that eggs would be replaced with vegetarian alternatives such as soyabean, paneer and rajma.
The TMC has accused the BJP of promoting a “vegetarian cultural template” in a state where fish and eggs are staple foods. Party leaders have said the move would affect the nutritional needs of children and amount to imposing food choices on the people of Bengal.
Earlier this week, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien had also criticised the reported decision, alleging that the BJP was trying to impose vegetarianism and deprive children of nutritious meals.
However, ISKCON Kolkata Vice President Radharaman Das denied that any final decision had been taken to remove eggs from the menu. He clarified that reports about a fixed vegetarian menu were incorrect and that discussions on the meal plan were still underway.
The BJP has rejected the allegations, while the issue has sparked a wider political debate over nutrition, culture and food preferences in West Bengal.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has defended the decision in the assembly, saying the aim was to provide students with clean and good quality food.
"Nobody is imposing anyone's religious beliefs on anyone else. The focus is on providing good food to students," he said.
Leader of the Opposition and rebel TMC leader Ritabrata Banerjee claimed the decision was an attempt to change food habits that have existed in Bengal for generations.
"For generations, Bengali children have grown up consuming animal protein as part of their regular diet. Nutrition schemes should reflect local food culture and not move away from it," he said.
The controversy has become the latest flashpoint between the TMC and the BJP, with both parties accusing each other of politicising the state’s school meal programme.
