Shiv Sena UBT slams all-vegetarian menu at BRICS Summit, calls it imposition of food choices
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 are a matter of personal freedom and should not be dictated by governments or political organisations. The editorial took exception 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.
Calling the move an imposition of dietary preferences on world leaders, the Thackeray camp in the party mouthpiece Saamana editorial argued that dietary choices—whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian—are a matter of personal freedom and that neither the government nor political parties should dictate them. The menu featured items such as Khandvi, Mushroom Kebabs, Paneer Lababdar, Millet Pulao, Gujarati-style Dhokli Bele Saru (tomato-dal curry), Jalebi, and Phirni.
The editorial labelled 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,” remarked the editorial.
The editorial contrasted the BRICS gala dinner with lavish Indian weddings, citing the recent wedding of Supriya Sule’s daughter Revati and high-profile industrialist weddings as having superior and more appetising cuisine.
It added that iconic Delhi culinary staples like Karim’s non-vegetarian dishes, Tandoori Chicken, Biryani, Butter Chicken, Goan Fish Curry, Kolhapuri Pandhra-Tambda Rassa, and Malvani Fish would have left international guests truly satisfied.
Rejecting claims that the menu reflected the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthplace, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena pointed out that Gandhi never imposed his personal vegetarian choices on others.
The editorial cited historical examples to support its stance. “When Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and his family visited Sevagram Ashram in Wardha, a separate kitchen outside the main premises was set up specifically to prepare non-vegetarian meals for them. During a state visit to Russia, former PM Morarji Desai — a strict teetotaler — respected local diplomatic traditions by allowing vodka to be poured into his glass for toasts, raising it without drinking,” it said.
The editorial further noted that during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Mahabalipuram, the menu included an array of non-vegetarian delicacies, with specialized chefs brought in from across the country.
The editorial alleged a broader campaign by the ruling government and its aligned organisations to alter India’s diverse food culture. It referenced the handover of mid-day meal contracts in schools to organisations like ISKCON, claiming that eggs have been removed from children’s diets.
It also touched upon domestic issues in cities like Mumbai, where non-vegetarians face discrimination in housing, terming such practices a crime.
Concluding with a sharp political jab, the editorial stated, “Individual dietary preference is a personal choice. While the government indulges in the ‘non-vegetarianism of corruption,’ it denies 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.”