Thiruvananthapuram, 23 Oct (H.S.): AICC general secretary K C Venugopal has criticised Keralam Governor Om Prakash Mathur over his reported instruction that meat and fish should no longer be cooked at Lok Bhavan, describing it as an unacceptable interference with individual food choices.

In a Facebook post, Venugopal said any attempt to restrict the food habits Malayalis have traditionally followed, or dictate what they should eat, could not be accepted. He described the directive as an excessive demand that everyone turn vegetarian.

Keralam has a diverse food culture, the Congress leader said, arguing that attempts to impose restrictions on eating habits threatened the state’s distinctive way of life.

Venugopal alleged that such instructions violated fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. A person holding a constitutional office, he said, had a responsibility to protect people’s freedom to decide what to eat and how to live.

Instead, he alleged, the Governor was insisting that others follow his own dietary preferences.

The Congress leader also linked the controversy to his broader criticism of the Sangh Parivar, alleging that those undermining citizens’ democratic rights were now seeking to curtail their freedom of food choice.

He described the reported restriction as the first step towards implementing the Sangh Parivar’s “saffron agenda” in Keralam.

Venugopal warned that practices introduced at Lok Bhavan could gradually spread to other institutions and become instruments of domination, eroding the freedoms and customs people had long enjoyed.

His criticism centred on the distinction between an individual choosing a vegetarian diet and a constitutional authority requiring others to follow that preference within an official establishment.

Maintaining that food freedom belonged to every individual, Venugopal urged the Governor to withdraw from any move that restricted it.

The material provided did not include a response from the Governor or clarification from Lok Bhavan on the scope of the reported instruction.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman