Eggs or bananas or milk? The
Janata Dal (Secular) and the BJP are at loggerheads
over what to include in the mid-day meal scheme
Bangalore
Ever thought eggs and bananas can trigger a
clash? If you are still wondering, they have
- in Karnataka. The humble egg has suddenly
become the symbol of casteist purity following
a controversy over supplying eggs to school
children as part of the government-sponsored
mid-day meal scheme.
The controversy began recently when Chief Minister
HD Kumaraswamy announced that eggs would be
made a weekly item under the scheme for its
nutrient value. Deputy Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa,
a Lingayat leader, strongly opposed the move.
The Lingayats are professedly vegetarian and
the community pontiffs, who command a strong
base in the northern districts of Karnataka,
are spearheading the anti-egg campaign. They
have formed a coalition with Jains, Buddhists
and also Sikhs to oppose the 'non-vegetarian
move'. Others have supported the idea of giving
away bananas instead of eggs. The state's dalits,
on the other hand, are demanding that eggs be
introduced as proposed. As a result of the egg-banana
uproar, the mid-day meal scheme's implementation
has been put on hold.
By January 20, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy buckled
under the pressure and opted for another option
- milk. That too, "in the interest of farmers
who depended on cows for livelihood." Karnataka
is one of the most successful states in implementing
the mid-day meal scheme that was introduced
by the SM Krishna regime in 2002, for school
children in Classes i to v in seven districts.
It was extended to all the districts and children
from Classes vi and vii were also made eligible
for it. Currently, the scheme covers 55 lakh
children and is funded by the Centre and the
state government with the Centre contributing
Re 1 per child per day and the state pitching
in with Rs 2.02 per child per day. The scheme
costs Rs 354 crore with the Central exchequer
bearing Rs 65 crore of it. Also, 58 ngos help
the state government implement the programme,
the most prominent of them being the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness (iskcon).
When the Centre increased its contribution from
Re 1 to Rs 1.50 per child last year, the state
government decided to distribute eggs.
There were no protests when the state government
announced it in October 2006. Over the past
few weeks however, religious institutions, many
of which support the BJP, as also ngos backed
by religious bodies, threatened an agitation
unless the government withdrew its egg order.
But Mate Mahadevi, who heads a Lingayat institution
in Bidar, denies any political motive behind
the protests. "We are apolitical. We have
an ideology to fight for, unlike political parties.
Lingayats constitute one-third of the
state's population and are vegetarians. No attempt
should be made to hurt their traditional values,"
she told Tehelka.
Her institution has formed the Federation of
Vegetarian Communities and Organisations with
other religious bodies to whip the egg in the
mid-day meal. "If the state government
implements the scheme, we will carry out a statewide
agitation," said Mahadevi, even as she
was awaiting news from a Cabinet meeting to
discuss the issue. The federation has succeeded
for a while, at least.
Education department officials are miffed and
blame it all on politics. "Why else did
they not protest last October when the scheme
was announced," asks an official requesting
anonymity. The political twist to the controversy
cannot be ignored. After losing face in the
Chamundeshwari bypoll where former party leader
Siddaramaiah defeated the official Janata Dal
(Secular) candidate, it is ally BJP's turn to
dominate the coalition.
If not dramatically, differences have markedly
increased between the ruling allies. The ruckus
about the egg then boils down to a conflict
between the egg-favouring Vokkaliga (Kumaraswamy's
caste) and the Lingayat Yediyurappa.
The reason for opting for the egg against milk,
bananas or other pulses is logistics, says Commissioner
of Public Instruction Madan Gopal, as cooking,
transporting and storing eggs is far easier
than having to deal with thousands of litres
of milk. "It is not as if we are forcing
eggs on children who do not want them. The school
development and management committees that constitute
parents are part of the process and only those
children who want eggs will be given them. Many
of them want eggs,'' says Madan Gopal.
Nutritionists vouch for eggs among children.
"There is no food that can equal eggs for
protein. May be milk, dal and pulses put together,
to an extent, but not as much,'' says Diet counsellor
and consultant Lisa Sarah John.
The problem, is that even religious institutions
are divided on the egg issue - depending on
which caste they belong to. Dalit organisations
oppose the religious argument against eggs.
"Egg is not about caste, as these religious
bodies are trying to bring about. It's a wrong
conception. Why should there be rules to eat
eggs? In fact, I know many Lingayats who have
eggs," says Bahujan Samajwadi Party state
general secretary Vaijanath
Suryavanshi. Mate Mahadavi disagrees. She insists
that like school uniforms, food should be uniform
too.
With the number of egg supporters growing considerably,
it is unlikely that Kumaraswamy can rid himself
of the controversy easily.
Basavaraj of the Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samithi
at the Indian Institute of Science, that takes
up the cause of science for the people, blames
politicians for opposing the egg move. "We
cannot understand why people oppose it when
eggs are already being supplied to children
at some schools" he notes, adding, "it
is political forces that want to benefit from
this."
A voice shriller than the rest is of Kumaraswamy's
brother HD Revanna who attacked the government
over eggs. "If you give eggs, attendants
will love to gobble them up before the students.
If you give milk, teachers will drink it,"
Revanna told the media. Revanna, is eyeing the
deputy chief minister's post once the BJP's
term to rule comes about as per the arrangement.
Currently, he sounds more like the Opposition.
Eggs are only an excuse for political posturing
therefore
Tehelka
February 03 , 2007
o o o
EGG HAS BECOME A BONE
OF CONTENTION
Karnataka - Bangalore
The Hindu - Jan 26, 2007
Staff Reporter
Two groups stage protests in Bangalore justifying
their stand
# `State's plan on egg is in the best interests
of children'
# Religious heads favour milk, fruit
DIVIDED: Members of the Federation of Indian
Vegetarian Communities and Organisations staging
a protest against the plan to include egg in
the midday meal scheme, at Nehru Park ground
in Bangalore on Thursday. (Right) Members of
the Joint Action Foru m of Child Rights Alliances
holding a demonstration in front of Town Hall
in support of egg. - Photos: K. Gopinathan
BANGALORE: A day before the State Government
was expected to decide on including egg in midday
meal scheme, groups holding divergent views
on the issue staged separate demonstrations
in Bangalore.
The Joint Action Forum of Child Rights Alliances
Karnataka held a protest in front of Town Hall
in support of the Government's plan to provide
egg to those who are willing to have it and
milk or fruits to the other children. Hailing
the Government's plan, the forum said it was
in the best interests of children.
Addressing the gathering, U.R. Ananthamurthy,
writer, said, "Politics and religion should
not be mixed and the Chief Minister should not
yield to pressure. Egg should be given to those
who would like to have it and undiluted milk
to those who did not wish to have eggs."
`Violation of rights'
V.P. Niranjanaradhya of the School Development
and Monitoring Committee Coordination Forum,
said, "Development issues should not be
mixed with politics and religion. Denying egg
would be a violation of child rights."
In fact, he pointed out, a survey conducted
by the Department of Education had revealed
that 84 per cent of the children wanted egg
in the midday meal scheme.
Chairman of PUCL Hasan Mansoor, Amrose Pinto,
writer, and others spoke.
Another protest
Heads of several religious institutions also
staged a demonstration at Nehru Park Ground
in Seshadripuram seeking a Government Order
against providing egg permanently in midday
meal scheme.
They pointed out that milk should be given
instead of egg.
The demonstration organised by the Akhila Karnataka
Prani Daya Sangha and Federation of Indian Vegetarian
Communities and Organisations was attended by
religious leaders, including Mathe Mahadevi
of Basava Dharma Peetha.
Justifying the role of religious leaders in
the no-egg campaign, Mathe Mahadevi said, "Writers
and intellectuals should not have a uni-dimensional
approach to the problem. Religious heads have
the responsibility of guiding society in religious
and spiritual matters. Politicians should not
involve themselves in religious matters."
Mathe Mahadevi said several communities had
restricted the use of egg in their dietary practices,
and members of many communities had become vegetarians
voluntarily.
Stating that a communal colour was being given
to the struggle, she said, opposition to providing
egg in midday meal scheme was not based on any
religion.
She said, "Milk and fruits can be given
to children whose religious beliefs do not allow
consumption of egg."
