A school in Thane, owned by a BJP MLA, has ignited a local controversy by advising students to avoid root vegetables in their lunchboxes during the Jain Paryushan festival, prompting strong objections from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
Key Points
- A Thane school, owned by a BJP MLA, requested students to avoid root vegetables in lunchboxes during the Jain Paryushan festival.
- The advisory, sent via WhatsApp, also stated the school canteen would serve food without onions, garlic, and potatoes during the eight-day holy period.
- The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) criticised the move, questioning the school's authority to dictate children's lunchbox contents.
- MLA Narendra Mehta defended the advisory as a non-mandatory request, citing religious sentiments of non-violence and promoting healthy eating habits.
- The controversy follows previous resolutions by the Mira Bhaindar Municipal Corporation regarding temporary bans on meat and fish sales during Paryushan.
A controversy has erupted after a school owned by a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA in Maharashtra's Thane district advised students not to carry root vegetables such as onion, garlic, potato, and beetroot in lunchboxes during the Jain community's ongoing Paryushan festival, prompting the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena to question the move.
Mira Bhayander MLA Narendra Mehta, who owns the Seven Square Academy, dismissed the allegations, saying the message was just a request, not a mandatory order.
The issue flared up after the school, located in the Mira Road area, sent a message on its official WhatsApp groups requesting parents not to pack root vegetables in their children's lunchboxes for the duration of 'Paryushan Parva'.
The advisory also noted that during the eight-day holy period, the school canteen would serve food prepared without onions, garlic, and potatoes.
MNS Objects To School's Lunchbox Advisory
The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) took exception to the message after some parents alerted the party about it.
Local MNS leader Sachin Pofale condemned the move and questioned how the school could "dictate" what children should carry in their lunchboxes.
"Who is the school management to decide what Marathi students and children should eat? If a Marathi entrepreneur opens a school tomorrow and asks students of all communities to bring chicken, mutton, or eggs during Gatari, would that be accepted?" he asked.
"Today, the government, municipal mayors, and now school administrations are attempting to dictate what our children carry in their tiffins," Pofale alleged.
He said the MNS has escalated the matter to local education officials for further action.
MLA Defends Advisory As Request, Not Order
MLA Mehta, however, dismissed the allegations of imposition and urged parties not to politicise the festival.
Clarifying the intent behind the WhatsApp message, he told reporters, "Paryushan is a sacred festival centered around non-violence (Ahimsa) and compassion for all living beings. The message sent by the school was merely a request to parents, not a mandatory order or compulsion. We simply asked students and parents to refrain from packing non-essential or unhealthy items for these eight days as part of healthy eating habits."
Mehta emphasised that the initiative aimed to respect religious sentiments and foster a spirit of health awareness, citing that scientific principles lie behind traditions such as consuming warm water or light vegetarian diets.
Similar advisories urging people to avoid non-vegetarian food are routinely communicated during festivals like Ganeshotsav and Navratri, he added.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of resolutions passed by the Mira Bhaindar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) regarding a temporary ban on meat and fish sales during Paryushan.
