New Delhi:
Madhya Pradesh government’s latest decision to distribute eggs at aanganwadis across the state has met with severe criticism from the BJP. Slamming the Kamal Nath administration for its decision, state BJP leader Gopal Bhargava made a bizarre statement on Thursday. While talking to media, Bhargava said that eating eggs will change a person into a man-eater. “Bharat ke jo sanskar hain, sanatan sanskriti mein mansahaar nished hai. Agar bachpan se hi hum ise khaayenge toh bade ho kar nar bhakshi na ho jaayen (Eating non-vegetarian food is prohibited in our 'Sanatan Sanskriti.' If we have it from childhood then we may grow up to become man-eaters).”
However, the Congress-led state government has defended its decision saying that introducing eggs in midday meals will help in tackling the widespread problem of malnutrition. "They (opposition) can say what they want. If the doctors who treat malnourished children say that eggs are good for the health of children, then they are good. Also, eggs do not come in the category of non-vegetarian food, they come under vegetarian food," Madhya Pradesh Women and Child Development Minister Imarti Devi was quoted as saying.
The BJP and the Congress are sparring over new food schemes. Earlier, the BJP had took a strong exception about the state government’s decision to sell Kadaknath chicken at milk shops. he government has launched the project on a pilot basis at a parlour run by the Madhya Pradesh State Livestock and Poultry Development Cooperation (MPSLPDC) in Vaishali Nagar area of the state capital, Animal Husbandry Lakhan Singh Yadav told PTI.
Kadaknath chicken is currently sold at the rate of Rs 900 per kg. Black meat of Kadaknath bird, endemic to Jhabua district in the state, is in high demand for its nutritious content and purported medicinal properties.
However, BJP’s Rameshwar Sharma had said that, “Cow milk and Kadaknath chicken meat should not be sold together in one booth. This will hurt religious sentiments. Cow milk is considered pious and is used for the religious purpose. It is also used during fasting. I will urge the government to set up separate parlours for selling milk and the Kadaknath chicken.”
