TMC Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra on Friday hit out at the BJP-led government in West Bengal over the decision to drop eggs from school mid-day meals and replace them with rajma (kidney beans) under a new pilot project in which the ISKCON will prepare the food. She said children in the state "do not like soya" and argued that rajma is not commonly eaten in the state compared with northern India.Mahua Moitra has stepped up her attacks on the BJP-led state government over various issues, including the vegetarian mid-day meal menu. (PTI/ANI)A political slugfest has broken out over the organisation’s vegetarian-only menu planned for schools under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), as the TMC accused the BJP of seeking to impose a vegetarian cultural template on Bengal.While presenting the state's first BJP budget, finance minister Swapan Dasgupta announced that the ISKCON would supply cooked meals in selected schools under the KMC as part of a pilot project. As the organisation serves only vegetarian food, eggs, one of the most popular items in Bengal's school meal scheme, will not be included in the menu at schools covered by the project.Instead, students will receive protein-rich vegetarian options, including paneer, rajma, soya products, pulses and milk-based food.TMC attacks BJP over 'vegetarian' mid-day mealsOne of former Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's few remaining loyalists, Mahua Moitra, has stepped up her attacks on the BJP-led state government over various issues, including the vegetarian mid-day meal menu introduced in the KMC area.She said eggs are a Class A protein and noted that soya is the only first-class non-animal protein, but claimed children do not like it."Our children don't like soya. When we feed it in schools, they don't like soya. So here you are, substituting egg. So what is the reason? If the reason is not cultural and the reason is not to promote vegetarianism, give me one good reason," she told reporters.Mahua also suggested that the government should instead ask ISKCON to run the MLA canteen in the West Bengal assembly and "eat rajma chawal". She further said that rajma, now included in the state's school meal menu, is not commonly eaten in Bengal, where eggs are a regular part of the diet."Why don't you eat rajma chawal? And what is rajma? Do Bengalis know what rajma is? I didn't know what rajma was till I went to Delhi," she was quoted as saying in a video shared by news agency ANI."40% of our school-going children go to school because that is the one nutritious hot meal of the day... So this is absolute garbage. I would advise these MLAs and all our 65 traitors who have gone, I want them to go back to their own constituencies and explain to their people how they are with these bunch of jokers," she added.Bengal LoP slams BJPLeader of the Opposition and rebel TMC leader Ritabrata Banerjee claimed the decision was an attempt to change food habits that have existed in Bengal for generations."For generations, Bengali children have grown up consuming animal protein as part of their regular diet. Nutrition schemes should reflect local food culture and not move away from it," he said.BJP, ISKCON defend moveThe BJP government has dismissed the criticism. Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari defended the decision in the assembly, saying the aim was to provide students with clean and good-quality food."Nobody is imposing anyone's religious beliefs on anyone else. The focus is on providing good food to students," he said.School education minister Dipak Burman said a vegetarian diet can provide all the nutrition children need. "Millions of people across the world live on vegetarian food. Nutrition should be judged by scientific standards, not by whether a meal contains eggs," he said.ISKCON dismissed the criticism, saying the controversy is based on misconceptions. Radharamn Das, vice president of ISKCON Kolkata, said the organisation already provides meals to nearly 12 lakh students across several states and follows the nutrition standards set by state governments."There is a misconception that nutrition depends only on eggs. Children can receive the required protein and nutrients through pulses, soya products, dairy items and vegetables. The focus should be on nutritional outcomes," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI."We follow the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition that originated in Bengal. It is incorrect to suggest that vegetarian food is alien to Bengali culture," he added.Attendance improves on egg-serving days: TeachersSome of the strongest reactions have come from teachers, who say student attendance usually rises on the days eggs are served.The headmaster of a school in Kolkata said students eagerly wait for the weekly egg meal more than any other item on the menu. "We welcome the increase in spending and any effort to improve food quality. But eggs have a special appeal among students. Whether alternatives generate the same enthusiasm remains to be seen," he told PTI.Another teacher said it remains uncertain whether children, who are used to non-vegetarian food, will readily accept items such as rajma and soya chunks. "If students do not enjoy the food, the objective of the programme can be affected," he said.The decision has revived memories of the election campaign, when fish became a political issue and the TMC accused the BJP of trying to impose a vegetarian food culture on Bengal.With inputs from agencies