The Trinamool Congress' 'Shotgun' seems to have shot himself in the foot by recommending a ban on non-vegetarian food pan India, even as his party, sensing trouble, promptly distanced itself from such "irrelevant arguments."
A day after Asansol TMC MP Shatrughan Sinha went on record saying he personally favored a ban on non-vegetarian foods, he wondered why the BJP was selective, allowing beef to continue in the Northeast while vetoing cow slaughter in North India.
Senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh, on Thursday, said that his party had a stated stance on both non-vegetarianism and the uniform civil code, and isolated comments made by individuals had little relevance in relation to the party's stance.
Sinha said, "Beef has been banned in many parts of North India... it is fine... I personally also feel it should be banned... in fact, I am personally for banning non-vegetarian food... but that is my personal view... my question is, if beef is banned in North India, then why is it being allowed to continue in the Northeast?"
When asked whether Sinha's statement amounted to diluting Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's declared stance on non-vegetarianism, Ghosh said, "Our leader (Mamata Banerjee) always says that there should be freedom regarding food habits, religion, and dress. Why should we interfere with that? There can be no dictation regarding that. If anyone has said something, it is their personal opinion. We can't comment on that."
Former TMC MP Jawhar Sircar also said, "It is impossible to ban non-vegetarian food, as 78 percent of Indians are non-vegetarian... Even if a handful of people want to impose it, that is not going to be possible... It would be unconstitutional."
In fact, the Chief Minister had earlier stated in her public speeches that food should be a personal matter and must not be interfered with. "Pregnant mothers are asked to eat eggs... in Bengal, fish is considered auspicious in many social events... meat is a delicacy... though many people favor vegetarianism... but why should the State interfere? They (BJP) are banning fish, meat, and egg stalls wherever they are in power... this is undemocratic... we will not tolerate it if they go on to ban them," she had said in a public meeting.
In an apparent bid to put Sinha in a bind, State BJP General Secretary Jagannath Chattopadhyay said, "I welcome what Shatrughan Sinha said, but let Mamata Banerjee make it clear whether she welcomes it or not." CPI(M) central committee leader Sujan Chakraborty was also critical of Sinha's statement, saying his remarks only underscored the Left's argument that there was a hidden understanding between the BJP and the TMC.