Kerala Governor’s Vegetarian Kitchen Order Sparks Criticism from Congress MP

AICC general secretary K C Venugopal sharply attacked Governor Om Prakash Mathur’s purported instruction that the Lok Bhavan kitchen serve only vegetarian food, labeling the measure an unconstitutional intrusion into personal dietary choices. Media reports suggested the governor, who took office on Friday, ordered the kitchen to stop preparing meat and fish dishes, a practice previously allowed under earlier governors.

Officials close to Mathur clarified that his request stemmed from his own vegetarianism and applied only to meals prepared for him and his immediate staff, with other employees free to bring food from home or eat elsewhere. Venugopal warned that such restrictions threaten the cultural food habits of Kerala and echo the “saffron agenda” of the Sangh Parivar. The governor’s oath was administered by Chief Justice Soumen Sen in Thiruvananthapuram. The dispute underscores tensions between personal preferences of a constitutional office-holder and the broader rights of citizens.