Thiruvananthapuram: AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal has strongly criticised Kerala Governor Om Prakash Mathur over a directive against cooking meat and fish in the Lok Bhavan kitchen, saying the order asking everyone to turn vegetarian “goes too far”.

In a Facebook post, Venugopal said Kerala has a diverse food culture and that any attempt to restrict people’s food choices would not be acceptable. He accused the governor of infringing on personal freedom by imposing his dietary preferences on others.

Venugopal said the directive was issued even before Mathur formally assumed office, without adequately understanding Kerala’s social and cultural context.

“Kerala is a state with a diverse food culture. As a coastal state, it also has abundant fish resources. People here have long followed both vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets,” Venugopal wrote in the post.

He added that no one should be allowed to dictate what Malayalis should eat or impose restrictions on their established food habits.

According to Venugopal, the freedom to decide what to eat and how to live is protected by the Constitution. He said restrictions on food choices could amount to an infringement of fundamental rights.
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Venugopal accuses governor of imposing personal preferences

The Congress leader said a constitutional authority entrusted with protecting individual freedoms should not insist that others follow the same dietary practices.

He accused Mathur of using his official position to curtail personal liberty and described the directive as part of what he called the Sangh Parivar’s “anti-constitutional” agenda.

He said the governor was free to follow a vegetarian diet himself, but his personal preferences should not determine how the Lok Bhavan kitchen operates, especially when its staff include Malayalis.
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Cites past incidents over food choices

Venugopal referred to incidents of violence linked to food and clothing in BJP-ruled states, citing the Dadri case as an example of what he described as a lasting wound to the country.

He accused the Sangh Parivar of using food choices to promote communal polarisation and hostility towards other communities. He warned that such policies, if extended from Lok Bhavan to other institutions, could become a form of domination and undermine people’s daily life. 

Calling food freedom an individual right, Venugopal urged the governor to withdraw the directive and respect people’s constitutional right to choose what they cook and eat.