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🇮🇳 India /Culture & Society

‘Do Bengalis know what rajma is?’: Mahua Moitra slams BJP as Bengal drops eggs from mid-day meals

From Hindustan Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • A political dispute has erupted in West Bengal over the replacement of eggs with rajma (kidney beans) in school mid-day meals under a new pilot project.
  • The ISKCON organization will supply vegetarian meals, excluding eggs, which are a popular protein source in the state.
  • TMC MP Mahua Moitra criticized the move, questioning the rationale and suggesting it imposes a vegetarian cultural template.

A political row has intensified in West Bengal after the state government decided to replace eggs with rajma (kidney beans) in school mid-day meals as part of a new pilot project. The initiative, managed by the ISKCON organization, will provide vegetarian meals, sparking criticism from the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

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.

— Mahua MoitraQuestioning the rationale behind replacing eggs with vegetarian options in school meals.

TMC Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra led the charge, questioning the decision to remove eggs, a popular and protein-rich food item in Bengal. She argued that children in the state do not favor soya, another proposed vegetarian protein source, and that rajma is not a staple in Bengali cuisine compared to northern India. Moitra suggested the move could be an attempt to impose a vegetarian cultural template on the state.

Finance minister Swapan Dasgupta announced the pilot project, which will see ISKCON supply cooked meals to selected schools under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). While the organization serves only vegetarian food, the exclusion of eggs has drawn sharp criticism. The TMC has accused the BJP-led state government of seeking to alter long-standing food habits in Bengal.

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.

— Mahua MoitraCriticizing the inclusion of rajma in the school meal menu and its unfamiliarity in Bengal.

Moitra further questioned the rationale behind substituting eggs, a "Class A protein," with vegetarian options. She proposed that ISKCON should instead manage the MLA canteen in the West Bengal assembly. The controversy highlights a broader political slugfest over various issues, with the TMC accusing the BJP of imposing its cultural agenda.

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.

— Mahua MoitraHighlighting the importance of mid-day meals for children's nutrition.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hindustan Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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