india

Updated: Jul 17, 2019 10:03 IST

The Chhattisgarh government’s decision to introduce eggs in the government run mid-day meal programme, has sparked a controversy with the state’s opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claiming that the move would force “vegetarian” children to eat eggs.

The state’s previous BJP government removed eggs from the menu of mid-day meals in 2015 and said it could be replaced with better vegetarian substitutes.

In January , the Bhupesh Bhagel-led Congress government re-introduced eggs in the mid-day meals for students in government schools on the grounds that it would improve their health indicators. Vegetarian children were given the option of bananas.

About 37% of the children under the age of 14 in Chhattisgarh are either stunted or underweight, the two factors used to measure malnourishment. Among tribal children, the malnourishment rate is 44%, an official in the CM’s office said.

On July 12, about 400 “Kabir panthis” [followers of Kabir, a 15th century poet and saint] submitted a memorandum to Kawardha district collector and demanded that eggs be removed from mid-day meal and threatened to block highways. The Kabir panthis complained that all forms of non-vegetarian food, including eggs, were “against their customs”. “We don’t want eggs to be served in mid-day meals because it is against our customs. We have demanded that eggs be withdrawn by July 17 or we will protest,” Eshwari Sahu, president of state Kabir Panth told reporters on Sunday.

On Monday, the opposition BJP threw its behind the Kabir panthis, claiming that the use of eggs in mid-day meals would affect the “harmony” of the state as many communities are vegetarian. “The government is forcibly making kids non-vegetarian. ...This scheme should be stopped and the BJP is against it ,” said Sacchinand Upasane, the BJP’s spokesperson in Chhattisgarh.

Reacting to the BJP’s claim, an official in the CMO said: “Nothing is being done forcefully.” “Since the problem of malnutrition is grave in Chhattisgarh, it is very important to serve eggs to kids.”

“The parents who don’t want their kids to eat eggs in mid-day meal should be given options like bananas and milk, but eggs shouldn’t be removed...,” a statement issued by 30 NGOs read.