CHENNAI: Puthiya Tamilagam founder and leader Dr K Krishnasamy has urged Social Justice Minister Vanni Arasu to withdraw his remarks on considering a request to include beef in the menu at government student hostels. According to a Daily Thanthi report, Krishnasamy said the minister's statement was inappropriate and should not be considered for implementation.
Vanni Arasu had said that some students had requested beef to be added to the menu at Social Justice hostels and that the matter would be discussed with students and officials before a decision is taken. The remarks came during his inspection of the M C Raja Social Justice Hostel in Chennai.
In his statement, Krishnasamy said thousands of school and college students stay in residential schools and hostels run under the Social Justice Department. He said the focus should be on providing nutritious and balanced food to students.
Recalling his tenure as an MLA between 1996 and 2001, Krishnasamy said he had raised concerns about the quality of food provided to students and had advocated increasing the monthly food charges. He said the increase helped improve the quality of food served at the time.
He further said that food provided to students should contain adequate protein, vitamins, minerals and fats. According to him, eggs should be provided regularly, while chicken and mutton could be included in the menu at least twice a week.
Krishnasamy said food preferences differ among individuals, families and communities. He claimed that chicken and mutton are more commonly consumed among non-vegetarians in Tamil Nadu and objected to the proposal to consider beef in Social Justice hostels.
He alleged that Vanni Arasu had brought the issue into the public domain by presenting it as a demand from students. Krishnasamy said that, as a minister, Arasu should not seek to impose his personal food preferences on students.
Krishnasamy strongly criticised the minister's statement and called for its immediate withdrawal. He said the issue should not be considered for implementation in student hostels and urged Vanni Arasu to reconsider his remarks.Krishnasamy also warned that any move to implement the proposal would have serious political consequences for the minister and reiterated his demand that the statement be withdrawn.