Srinagar: Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, on Thursday, defended people’s right to have whatever food they prefer, in a marked departure from core Hindutva ideology that does not take too kindly to the consumption of non-vegetarian fare.
Radhakrishnan, who rose through the RSS ranks, was addressing the 21st convocation of Kashmir University, as reported by The Telegraph Online.
The Vice President recalled an event during his tenure as Jharkhand governor when a “big team of young students from Jammu and Kashmir” had visited Ranchi as part of the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme.
“They were all very surprised by the reception – what we were giving, and I asked our people to serve all the non-vegetarian food to them. I know most of them are non-vegetarians, though I am a vegetarian,” he told the convocation.
“I asked the Raj Bhavan that time (now Lok Bhavan), I asked all our people that all the Kashmiri students should be served non-vegetarian or whatever food they like,” he added.
“So I am telling, we are Democrats. We have to accept the sentiments (of people fond of non-vegetarian food). We can be proud of our sentiments, no problem in that. That doesn’t mean we should degrade the sentiments of others, it’s not good. And no Democrat will do that. It (the freedom) has created friendship across regions, cultures and languages. It has ensured that talent is not limited by geography alone,” VP Radhakrishnan said.
Food habits, even among Hindus, have led to controversy across the country over the last several years. During Durga Puja or Navratri, for instance, people in northern and western parts of the country stick to a strict vegetarian diet. For people in the east though, this is a time of feasting and consumption of non-vegetarian food actually goes up.
There has been a recent trend to call for bans on the sale of meat and fish during religious festivals. A similar attempt in Jammu by a so-called Hindutva group recently was opposed by traders.
The well-known Kashmiri wazwan comprises meat dishes. Even vegetable dishes that are part of it are soaked in mutton gravy before being served to guests.
