Desk Report,
Mamata refuses to heed Modi government’s warning on Singara-Jilapi
The Indian central government is embroiled in a strange controversy. The controversy is somewhat pointless. The ‘Oil and Fat Board’ under the Union Health Ministry of India has tried to pull a trigger overnight to deal with the situation. It has said that the guidelines issued by them are merely a warning. No order has been issued to anyone to eat or not to eat any food.
Mamata refuses to heed Modi government’s warning on Singara-Jilapi
Some popular foods like shingara and jilapi are at the center of the controversy. Recently, the ‘Oil and Fat Board’ has said that the amount of sugar, oil, calories, and trans-fat in shingara, jilapi, laddu, pakora or various types of fried and sweet foods should be informed to the buyer. The list should be displayed in the shop at the time of sale so that the buyer can be aware.
A lot has been said about the guidelines. Politics has started. There are also rumors that the Modi government is going to decide who will eat which food. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been at loggerheads with the BJP government for some time now. He has launched his party in a movement against the arrest and ‘push back’ of Indian Bengali speakers in the name of expelling foreigners. Immediately after the directive, he wrote on his ‘X’ handle on Tuesday, ‘It is heard that the Health Ministry has ordered that Singara and Jilapi cannot be eaten. This is not a notification from the West Bengal government. This notification will not be implemented either. People love to eat Singara and Jilapi. It is not right to interfere in people’s eating habits.’
The directive is actually a letter written by Union Health Secretary Punyasalila Srivastava. It is a message like a warning about cigarettes or tobacco products. It only means that the amount of oil, ghee, calories, trans-fat contained in delicious foods and snacks like Singara and Jilapi in schools, colleges, government office canteens, cafeterias or various food shops must be informed. Although its purpose is to increase health awareness, it raises a different kind of debate in the color of politics. As a result, the government and BJP issued an explanation that night, saying that this is not a fatwa, it is merely a warning message, which has been issued to make people aware. BJP’s social media head Amit Malviya also said on the ‘X’ handle that no one has issued any guidelines that shingara and jilapi cannot be eaten.
