The State Government should open exclusive schools and anganwadis for vegetarian children, if it cannot stop providing eggs in schools and anganwadis, head of All India Vegetarians Federation Sri Dayanand Swami said in Hubballi on Wednesday.
“The government should provide uniform multi-vitamin pure vegetarian food to all students or open exclusive schools for vegetarians. The government should stop imposing food habits on vegetarians,’’ the seer, who is the convenor of the federation and convenor of Vishwa Prani Kalyan Mandali, told journalists.
“Members of the federation and some religious leaders will participate in the Sant Samavesh and Suvarna Soudha Chalo in Belagavi on December 20 in protest against the State Government’s decision to provide eggs to poor children in schools and anganwadis,’’ he said.
He said that giving eggs and bananas to different sections of students would create a wedge between students and lead to discrimination and inequality.
“The problem is not limited to government schools. The government is forcing several religious leaders to cook eggs in their aided schools run by mutts. That will be an insult to such seers. We suspect that the government is introducing this scheme under pressure from poultries,’’ he said.
“It is unfortunate that a government that seeks directions from Hindu organisations, RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parishat, with a Lingayat Chief Minister and a Brahmin Education Minister, is taking such steps. It is condemnable,’’ he said.
Earlier also, governments led by S. Bangarappa, H.D. Kumaraswamy and B.S. Yeddiyurappa had planned to distribute eggs in schools. But they had withdrawn the proposal after protests from various organisations. “We warn of a State-wide agitation if the government does not withdraw the scheme immediately,” he said.
