Jammu: Barely a day after the PDP-BJP coalition government assumed office in J&K, the two partners are into their first fight, with BJP members infuriated over a dish prepared from lotus stems (Nadru).

The first cabinet dinner hosted by chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed almost erupted into a fist fight after a local BJP leader from Kashmir informed his Jammu colleagues that the dish they were relishing was in fact prepared from lotus stems.

The BJP says it has been kept in dark about the Nadru (lotus stem) eating habits of Kashmiris, and wants a permanent ban on its consumption.

“We have been misled, they told us we have a common interest in lotus proliferation in Kashmir. We never realised they are eating at our roots,” BJP President Amit Shah told Dapaan over phone from New Delhi.

Shah said that it was an affront on the national party that its ally indulges in eating the stems of its (BJP) party symbol.

“Lotus is our identity. How can we tolerate a partner with such cannibalisitc habits,” said Shah.

Lotus stems, known as Nadru in local parlance, are relished as a delicacy in Kashmir.

The BJP is demanding a complete ban on the consumption of Nadru in the state, besides an apology from the chief minister for including the dish in the dinner menu.

“Many of our legislators unwittingly relished the dish. Nothing less than an apology would do,” said Nirmal Singh, the deputy chief minster and Senior BJP leader.

Singh confirmed the issue had cropped up at the dinner itself, but denied that any fistfights had broken out between the legislators.

The PDP, on its part, has denied allegations of wrongdoing.

“Our Nadru eating habit is not a secret. And if they have any reservations they should have taken it up before the swearing in,” said Naeem Akhtar, PDP chief spokesperson.

“It took two months to enter into this arrangement, and it is the duty of the concerned parties to make any inquires about their prospective partner before a wedlock,” said Akhtar.

He, however, added that the issue could be considered on a humanitarian basis like other issues of the common minimum programme.