States » SouthPosted at: Oct 23 2026 1:56PM


KC Venugopal slams Kerala Guv over reported ban on cooking meat, fish at Lok Bhavan

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 23 (UNI) AICC General Secretary and MP K C Venugopal has strongly criticised Kerala Governor Om Prakash Mathur over his reported directive against cooking meat and fish in the Lok Bhavan kitchen, terming it an unwarranted interference in individual freedom and Kerala’s diverse food culture.
In a statement, Venugopal alleged that those who had undermined citizens’ democratic rights by stealing votes were now attempting to curtail their freedom to choose what they eat.
Describing the directive, reportedly issued even before Mathur assumed office, as excessive, Venugopal said it reflected a failure to understand Kerala’s social realities and traditional food habits.
“Kerala has a diverse food culture, where people have traditionally followed both vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets. As a coastal state, Kerala also has abundant fish resources,” he said.
Any attempt to impose restrictions on the food habits of Malayalis or dictate what they should eat would be unacceptable, he added.
Venugopal alleged that attempts to interfere in people’s dietary choices and undermine their way of life amounted to an infringement of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
He said it was particularly objectionable that a person occupying a constitutional office, entrusted with protecting citizens’ freedoms, should seek to impose his personal dietary preferences on others.
“While the Governor is free to follow his vegetarian diet, the Lok Bhavan kitchen cannot be forced to function solely according to his personal preferences,” Venugopal said.
He pointed out that the kitchen was also staffed by Malayalis whose food culture and social practices deserved respect.
The Congress leader alleged that the move reflected what he described as the Sangh Parivar’s anti-constitutional agenda and constituted an initial attempt to advance its saffron agenda in Kerala.
Referring to incidents in BJP-ruled states where people had been killed over their food choices and clothing, Venugopal said such developments highlighted the dangers of intolerance and communal polarisation.
The Dadri incident, he said, had left deep wounds in the country’s collective conscience. He alleged that campaigns promoting communal hatred and targeting people over their food habits were now entering a more dangerous phase.
Warning against the wider implications of such measures, Venugopal said policies originating at Lok Bhavan could spread to other institutions and gradually create an atmosphere of dominance, threatening the diversity and freedom that had long characterised Kerala’s society.
Freedom of food choice was an individual right, he said, urging the Governor to refrain from any action that could restrict it.
Venugopal reminded the Governor that his constitutional office carried a responsibility to protect the rights of citizens to cook and eat food of their choice, rather than impose personal preferences on others.
UNI DS
Tags: #KC Venugopal slams Kerala Guv over reported ban on cooking meat# fish at Lok Bhavan
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