- Controversy highlights debate over personal choice versus institutional policy.
Kerala Governor Om Prakash Mathur’s reported decision to restrict the Lok Bhavan kitchen to vegetarian food has triggered a political controversy on his first day in office, with the Congress and CPI(M) criticising the move over concerns about personal freedom and food choices. The controversy emerged shortly after Mathur was sworn in as the state’s 29th Governor. Media reports said he had directed officials not to prepare or serve non-vegetarian food in the Lok Bhavan kitchen.
Congress Questions Restrictions On Food Choices
Congress leader and AICC general secretary Venugopal criticised the reported decision, arguing that a governor’s personal dietary preferences should not determine food choices beyond his own meals. Citing Kerala’s coastal geography, fishing resources and diverse culinary traditions, Venugopal said people should have the freedom to decide what they eat.
“Any attempt to restrict the food habits Keralites are accustomed to or dictate what they should eat from now on cannot be accepted,” he said, as quoted by PTI.
He also argued that restrictions that interfere with individual food preferences and seek to alter traditional lifestyles could violate constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights. Venugopal accused the governor of using his position to “curtail” personal freedom rather than safeguarding people’s right to make their own choices.
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Venugopal Alleges ‘Saffron Agenda’ Behind Move
The Congress leader also linked the reported kitchen directive to the political ideology of the Sangh Parivar, escalating the criticism beyond the issue of dietary preferences.
“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,” he alleged.
While acknowledging Mathur’s right to follow a vegetarian diet, Venugopal maintained that such preferences should not be imposed on the institution’s kitchen. He also pointed out that Keralites work at Lok Bhavan and urged the governor to withdraw any restrictions affecting food choices.
Lok Bhavan Sources Explain Governor’s Decision
Sources at the governor’s office said Mathur is a strict vegetarian and had ordered the change because of his personal dietary preferences.
They clarified that the directive applied to the kitchen where meals for the governor were prepared and did not restrict the food choices of Lok Bhavan employees, PTI reported.
According to the sources, food prepared in the kitchen was served to the governor and a few members of his personal staff. Other employees either brought meals from home or ate outside the premises.
The sources also noted that fish and meat dishes had been prepared in the Lok Bhavan kitchen during the tenures of some previous governors.
Political Row Centres On Scope Of Kitchen Directive
The controversy has centred on whether the reported decision concerns only the governor’s personal meals or extends to the institution’s food arrangements.
While the Congress has framed the move as a question of individual freedom and Kerala’s food culture, Lok Bhavan sources have maintained that employees’ dietary choices remain unaffected.
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