Eggs off Bengal mid-day meals: Suvendu govt draws fire over ‘vegetarian menu’ in schools

The overhaul of the mid-day meal scheme in West Bengal, announced by Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta while presenting the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government’s first Budget in the Assembly Monday, has triggered a storm, with the Opposition accusing the government of imposing vegetarianism on school students over its proposal to partner with ISKCON to provide cooked meals under a pilot project that would drop eggs from the menu.

The government has however significantly increased the material allocation per student under the mid-day meal scheme, proposing to roll out the ISKCON-cooked vegetarian meals in schools across the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area. While the BJP has defended the move as a “nutritional and hygiene-focused reform”, the decision has drawn criticism from both factions of the Opposition Trinamool Congress (TMC) as well as sections of school authorities and teachers, who argue that eggs are a rich source of protein and nutrition for students and are both “culturally familiar” and an important incentive for student attendance.

Under the new mid-day meal policy, the material cost of such meals in primary schools has been increased to Rs 10 per student from Rs 6.78. Its implementation is expected to take one or two months in Kolkata as the ISKCON has to set up kitchens and logistics infrastructure in the city.

Govt’s stand

Defending the decision in the Assembly, CM Adhikari sought to allay concerns over the involvement of the religious organisation in the execution of the mid-day meal scheme. “We are giving the responsibility of cooking mid-day meals to ISKCON. If you have an objection, do not say ‘Hare Krishna’ – no one will force you. You will get good food to eat. You will get pure food, nothing to worry about,” the CM said.

School Education Minister Dipak Burman also defended the removal of eggs from the menu, arguing that vegetarian diets can adequately meet children’s nutritional requirements. “There are many people in our society and hundreds of millions across the globe who lead completely healthy lives on a vegetarian diet. Vegetarian meals possess sufficient nutritional value, providing all the essential nutrients required for physical growth and development. There is no logic behind the idea that children must consume eggs, especially to fulfil their nutritional needs,” Burman said.

Oppn’s attack

The move has sparked strong reactions from the Opposition. The rebel TMC leader and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly, Ritabrata Banerjee, said, “It is five thousand years of tradition that Bengali children used to have animal protein. If ISKCON will stop non-vegetable items in mid-day meals, that not only stop eggs but also exclude masoor dal from menu, that is not desirable in Bengali culture and tradition.”

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien criticised the decision on social media, linking it to a broader ideological agenda. “After the fish-eating tamasha during the election campaign, the Gujarat Gymkhana finally reveals itself. New BJP govt at work in Bengal. Throw eggs at rivals. But deprive children of nutrition by taking eggs off from midday meals. Imposing vegetarianism. Bengal rejects this,” he said.

In the run-up to the recent Bengal Assembly polls, the then incumbent Mamata Banerjee-led TMC had kept its guns trained on the BJP over matters related to Bengalis’ food and cultural identity, alleging that the BJP, if voted to power, would ban fish and turn Bengal into a vegetarian state. The BJP had rejected these charges. In their response, several BJP leaders were also seen eating fish or canvass with fish in their hands in a bid to reject the TMC’s claims.

ISKCON’s response

Speaking to The Indian Express, ISKCON vice-president Radharaman Das said the organisation currently serves mid-day meals to around 12 lakh students in more than 20 cities across eight states. “For the last 20-22 years across India, we have been doing mid-day meals. A lot of people appreciate the ISKCON meals,” he said.

Rejecting suggestions that a vegetarian menu would compromise nutrition of school children, Das said the menu for the schools has yet to be finalised with the help of dieticians keeping local tastes in mind, “Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is a Bengali; we follow Gaudiya culture. We serve a Bengali thali globally, so it is wrong to say that only egg or meat completes a Bengali thali. The menu will have rice, dal, khichdi and sabji. It is wrong to think that protein is missing from the thali. There are a lot of things that have high protein like soya chunks and rajma,” he said.

Asked about possible resistance to a vegetarian menu in Bengal, Das said similar concerns had surfaced elsewhere but faded after the programme was implemented. “Initially in a few places we had faced protests earlier too, but once we started and people had it, they all appreciated the quality of the food,” he said.

Educators’ position

The proposed changes in the mid-day meal programme have also raised concerns among a section of educators, who point to the role eggs have traditionally played in both nutrition and attendance of students.

Debabrata Panti, headmaster of Netaji Subhash Primary School in Maheshtala, said eggs have been one of the most popular items served under the scheme. “Fish was never given because ours is a primary school. Children love eggs, which are served once a week. On that one day, we always recorded high attendance,” he said, adding children in Bengal are “not excited” by vegetarian food.

A government school teacher, requesting anonymity, said the new policy could be perceived as an attempt to alter food habits rather than merely improve meal quality. “It is like the imposition of food habits. Many students are unfamiliar with items such as paneer, rajma and chhola because they are not part of their regular food culture. Schools with a high number of minority students may also face resistance from parents. I think there should have been a choice at least. Mid-day meals are an important way to bring children to school,” the teacher said.

Panti also pointed to another possible consequence of the policy: its impact on local women workers employed as cooks under the existing system. “All schools used to engage local women in preparing the mid-day meal. They earned very little, around Rs 2,000 a month. In our school, three people were involved. Now they may lose work. However, since it is currently restricted to Kolkata, we don’t know whether it will eventually be implemented across the rest of Bengal,” he said.