A reported instruction to exclude meat and fish from the Lok Bhavan kitchen menu has put Keralam Governor Om Prakash Mathur at the centre of a political debate.
Thiruvananthapuram: Om Prakash Mathur formally assumed office as the 29th Governor of Keralam on Friday, October 23, during a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram. Soumen Sen, Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, administered the oath. Mathur, who previously served as Sikkim Governor, succeeds Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who has been appointed Governor of Tamil Nadu.
Mathur’s appointment marks a change in the state’s gubernatorial leadership. However, reports about a new food arrangement at Lok Bhavan have also brought his arrival into the political spotlight. According to media reports, the Governor’s residence kitchen has been instructed to prepare vegetarian meals, prompting a discussion about personal food preferences, individual choice and the cultural diversity of Keralam.
Swearing-In Ceremony Held in Thiruvananthapuram
Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan, Speaker Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan, state ministers and other political representatives were among those present at the swearing-in ceremony.
The official order confirming Mathur’s appointment was read out before he took the oath and assumed his new responsibilities. He had arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday and was welcomed at the airport by the Chief Minister and other state officials.
After arriving, Mathur expressed his happiness at beginning his tenure in a state known for its natural beauty, traditions and spirit of harmony.
Reported Vegetarian Kitchen Policy Draws Attention
The reported change in Lok Bhavan’s kitchen arrangements became a subject of discussion around the time Mathur took charge. Media reports said the kitchen had been directed to serve vegetarian food, excluding meat and fish from its menu. Cooks from Rajasthan were also reportedly brought in to prepare meals in keeping with the Governor’s dietary preferences.
Media reports indicated that the vegetarian-only policy would extend to food prepared for the Governor, certain employees and visitors at Lok Bhavan. However, information attributed to Lok Bhavan sources indicated that employees would remain free to bring food from home or eat outside the premises.
The issue has attracted attention because fish and meat are common components of food traditions across many parts of Keralam. The reported change has consequently raised questions about how an officeholder’s personal dietary choices should be accommodated within a public institution.
K. C. Venugopal Questions the Decision
Congress MP K. C. Venugopal criticised the reported kitchen arrangement, saying it did not adequately account for the state’s varied food habits and cultural traditions. He highlighted the place of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes in everyday life in Keralam, particularly the importance of fish in coastal communities.
Venugopal acknowledged that Mathur was entitled to follow his preferred diet but questioned whether the same preference should determine the menu of an official residence. He described the reported move as an intrusion into personal freedom and alleged that it could reflect a broader ideological effort to influence people’s eating habits and lifestyles.
The Congress leader also argued that people holding constitutional positions should remain mindful of the diversity of the population they represent. His criticism brought the issue beyond the question of kitchen management, turning it into a wider debate about individual choice, public institutions and cultural practices.
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Who Is Om Prakash Mathur?
Om Prakash Mathur was born on January 2, 1952, in Bedal village in Rajasthan’s Pali district. After graduating from Rajasthan University, he entered public life and became associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), working as a pracharak from 1972.
He subsequently took on organisational responsibilities within the Sangh network and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Over the years, Mathur advanced through the party’s organisational structure, serving as general secretary of the Rajasthan unit before taking on responsibilities at the national level.
His political career included serving as BJP Rajasthan president and as the party’s national general secretary, with responsibilities for organisational work in several states. He also represented Rajasthan in the Rajya Sabha for two terms, from 2008 to 2014 and from 2016 to 2022.
New Governor Begins Tenure Amid Public Debate
Mathur’s assumption of office has brought both the gubernatorial transition and the reported food policy at Lok Bhavan into focus. While the swearing-in formally begins his tenure, the controversy surrounding the kitchen arrangements has prompted political questions about dietary preferences, cultural diversity and the role of public institutions.
Keralam’s food culture includes a wide range of vegetarian and non-vegetarian traditions that differ across communities and regions. Against this backdrop, the reported kitchen directive has become a point of contention, particularly over the distinction between an individual’s personal choices and arrangements maintained at an official residence.
The debate may continue as political leaders and members of the public respond to the reported decision. For now, Mathur has begun his tenure as Governor, while the questions raised over food arrangements at Lok Bhavan have emerged as an early issue surrounding his appointment.
