A viral video showing Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav eating fish fry on the eve of Chaitra Navratri has created political turmoil and triggered a national debate, with BJP leaders accusing him of hurting Hindu sentiments. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped into the fray this week, Mr. Yadav hit back on Saturday, asking Mr. Modi to focus on jobs, inflation, and poverty rather than diverting attention from such “real issues”.
On April 9, the first day of the Navratri fast, Mr. Yadav posted a video on his X account, showing him in a poll campaign helicopter eating fish fry with ally and Vikasheel Insaan Party leader Mukesh Sahani. The post mentioned that the footage was shot on April 8, the day before Navratri began, and the video described how the political leaders were managing to keep fed and hydrated during the scorching heat of a summer campaign by drinking lots of liquids like watermelon juice, wood apple juice, and sattu (roasted gram mixed).
As BJP leaders in Bihar expressed their outrage against the “anti-Sanatana” act, Mr. Modi raised the stakes to a national debate by commenting on the incident at an election rally in Jammu on April 12. Without naming Mr. Yadav, he slammed Opposition leaders who publicised meat eating during the Navratri fasting period, accusing them of having a “Mughal mindset”. He also targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav for allegedly eating mutton during the holy month of Shravan last year.
‘Testing BJP leaders’ IQ’
Mr. Yadav had initially responded on X on the morning of April 10, saying, “I had posted the video to test the IQ level of BJP leaders and Bhakt of Godi Media and my thought was right. In the tweet, I had also mentioned the date but the poor Andhbhakth (blind follower) did not get it.”
Later in the day, he posted another video showing him eating oranges with Mr. Sahani, with a mocking caption: “Hello friends, today we are having an orange party in the helicopter, will they get irritated by the color of oranges?” In the video, Mr. Sahani said, “Today, we are having oranges and I assume that BJP leaders will be having stomach pain and will connect oranges with religion. Don’t they want us to eat? They want the extremely backward and backward people to eat salt and roti.”
‘Diverting voter attention’
Asked about the PM’s comments, Mr. Yadav said on Saturday: “I have been talking about jobs, inflation, poverty and unemployment for a long time but the Prime Minister does not take notice of public issues. He just wants to make his Mann Ki Baat heard. What did they give to Bihar in 10 years? Why did he not fulfil his promises? They do not talk about these things and talk about other things to divert attention from the real issues. The people of Bihar are very intelligent and will teach a lesson to the BJP in the Lok Sabha election.”
Diverse food traditions
The only time when the people of Bihar completely shun meat is during the Chhath festival, considered the State’s biggest and most pious religious celebration.
“There is no official data on how many people turn vegetarian during the holy month of Shravan and Navratri. However, there are places in Bihar where people eat non-vegetarian food throughout the year,” said Vidyarthi Vikas, Assistant Professor at the A.N. Sinha Institute of Social Studies in Patna. “The Brahmins of the Mithilanchal region eat fish throughout the year. During the Shravan, the pandas (saints) of Deohghar in Jharkhand, who head the worship of Lord Shiva at Baba Baidyanath Dham temple, eat mutton as prasad. You visit West Bengal; the Bengalis eat non-vegetarian food during the Durga Puja. Are they not Hindus? I think the Prime Minister should not speak such language and should focus on the real issues,” he added.
Unwritten cultural rules
Asked about the impact of the PM’s remarks on the upcoming Lok Sabha election, Bihar-based political expert Sanjay Kumar opined that it would not affect the poll, but would rather leave an impression of a non-serious person. He also stressed, however, that Mr. Yadav should have not posted the video on social media if he considered himself a mature politician.
“People have their own freedom and liberty to eat and drink but there is religious culture. There are no written rules and regulations on eating during festivals, it is just a moral value which people follow by themselves. There is no restriction to eat anything, but if the act is for teasing point of view, it would be considered wrong,” he said. “Mr. Tejashwi Yadav was having fish inside the helicopter and nobody knew about it. What was the point of sharing the video on social media? He could have easily hidden it but he shared it, which shows his political immaturity.”
Mr. Kumar added, “At the same time, the Prime Minister’s talk should be serious. Comparing the eating of mutton and fish with a ‘Mughal mindset’ is equally not praiseworthy. In the Stone Age, before the Mughal era, people used to eat raw fish and meat. So, there is no logic behind such a comparison. He should have [instead] talked about employment, farmer issues, and inflation. If he speaks the same language, what will be the difference between a layman and the Prime Minister?”
‘Let people eat what they want’
Several voters also said that they were not taking the fish-eating incident seriously, noting that everyone has the right to eat and drink according to their own wishes and desires.
“What is wrong if a person is eating something during the festival? Are we supposed to give up food, or are we supposed to be sad all the time during the festival? Festival means happiness and in happiness, let people eat what they want. No one should have any problem with this, he is not forcing anyone to eat,” said Ram Parvesh Manjhi, a resident of Majhauli village in Gaya district. “We come from a Dalit family and cannot afford chicken and mutton, so we eat rat and other meat during festivals. Are we doing some crime? I don’t think so. I am not a fan of Mr. Yadav, but eating habits are something beyond any caste, religion and person,” he added.
