Newly sworn-in Keralam Governor O P Mathur faces questions from senior Congress leader KC Venugopal over the reported vegetarian-only kitchen arrangement. (Img: X)
Thiruvananthapuram: A reported decision to keep the Lok Bhavan kitchen strictly vegetarian has triggered a political dispute in Keralam, with senior Congress leader K C Venugopal questioning whether personal food preferences should shape food choices at the Governor’s residence.
The controversy emerged after reports claimed that newly sworn-in Governor O P Mathur had directed that non-vegetarian food should not be prepared or served in the Lok Bhavan kitchen. Venugopal alleged that the reported move reflected the “unconstitutional interests” of the Sangh Parivar and raised concerns about individual freedom and the state’s diverse food culture.
A section of the local media reported that Mathur wanted the Lok Bhavan kitchen to prepare only vegetarian food. The reports surfaced ahead of his swearing-in, which took place on Friday.
The issue quickly became a political talking point because food habits are closely connected with Kerala’s regional traditions and coastal food culture. The state has a diverse culinary landscape, with fish and other non-vegetarian dishes forming part of everyday diets in many communities.
Venugopal, general secretary of the All India Congress Committee, criticised the reported directive shortly after Mathur took the oath of office. He argued that a constitutional office-holder should protect individual freedom rather than seek to impose personal food preferences on others.
Venugopal said Keralam’s people had the freedom to choose between vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. He objected to any attempt to dictate what people should eat or interfere with food habits associated with their traditional way of life.
He argued that restrictions intruding into individual food choices could raise questions about the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
Venugopal also linked the reported decision to the Sangh Parivar, alleging that it was part of what he described as an effort to advance a “saffron agenda” in Keralam. These remarks represent the Congress leader’s political interpretation of the reported directive.
Sources in the Governor’s office said Mathur was a strict vegetarian and had therefore directed that non-vegetarian food not be prepared in the kitchen. The sources also clarified that employees were not restricted in their personal food choices.
This distinction is central to the dispute: the reported instruction concerns food prepared in the official residence’s kitchen, while the Governor’s office says employees remain free to follow their own dietary preferences.
The available account does not establish whether the reported arrangement extends beyond the kitchen or affects food brought in or consumed by staff. The precise scope of the instruction would need further clarification.
The dispute goes beyond a menu at an official residence. It has raised questions about the boundary between an office-holder’s personal preferences and the arrangements made within a public institution.
For Venugopal, the reported directive represents a potential intrusion into personal freedom and Kerala’s food traditions. The Governor’s office, meanwhile, has presented the decision as a reflection of Mathur’s vegetarian lifestyle while maintaining that employees’ personal choices remain unaffected.
The controversy also highlights how questions of food, identity and cultural practices can quickly become politically charged. Whether the reported arrangement is limited to the Lok Bhavan kitchen or has broader implications will be important in assessing the competing claims.
