{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Will the Boiled Egg Vanish From Bengal's School Plates? A Mid-Day Meal Handover Triggers a Political Storm",
  "summary": "A decision to hand West Bengal's mid-day meal contract to ISKCON has sparked a fierce row. Since ISKCON's kitchens use no eggs, garlic or onion, opposition leaders are asking how schoolchildren will get their nutrition.",
  "content": "In West Bengal, the humble egg has turned into a political flashpoint. At the heart of the debate is one simple question, will schoolchildren still get the boiled egg served in their mid-day meal. The controversy flared after Suvendu Adhikari's government decided to award the state's mid-day meal contract to ISKCON.\n\nThe catch lies in how ISKCON cooks. Its kitchens use no eggs at all, and not even garlic or onion. That is exactly why opposition parties have begun to corner the government, asking whether the boiled egg will now disappear from children's plates.\n\nKunal Ghosh raises the question of children's health\n\nTrinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh weighed in on the issue. He made it clear that he has no problem with ISKCON itself, his real worry is the health of the children. His argument was straightforward, if there is no egg in the mid-day meal, where exactly will the children get their nutrition from.\n\nISKCON responds, protein is not only in eggs\nISKCON also offered its side of the story. Spokesperson Radharaman Das said the egg is not the only source of protein. Pulses and paneer are also rich in it. He explained that ISKCON already serves such nutritious items to children in the mid-day meal, so those protesting need not worry about the children's nutrition.\n\nNaushad Siddiqui argues the move hurts the poor\nNaushad Siddiqui of the Indian Secular Front also questioned the decision. He said paneer is expensive, and simply handing a child a single piece of it will not do the job. Siddiqui added that Muslims generally eat non-vegetarian food. According to him, many poor families send their children to school precisely because an egg is served in the mid-day meal. He called the decision unfair to the poor.\n\nThe egg debate is nothing new\nThis kind of argument over eggs has played out many times before. On one side, those who eat eggs point to the protein they contain, while those who avoid eggs point to other vegetarian sources of protein. Doctors too accept that eggs carry protein and come cheap. But when the food is cooked in an ISKCON kitchen, there can be no egg in it. The real challenge now rests with ISKCON, to prove that it can give children a wholesome, balanced diet even without the egg.\n\nWhat this means for you\n• Across India: The debate matters for the lakhs of poor families who depend on mid-day meals, since school food is often a major source of children's nutrition.\n• In West Bengal: The boiled egg could be dropped from the plates of children in the state's government schools, directly affecting their daily nutrition.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. Why has a controversy erupted over eggs in West Bengal?\nBecause the government has decided to give the mid-day meal contract to ISKCON, and ISKCON's kitchens do not use eggs.\n\n2. Who has been given the mid-day meal contract?\nSuvendu Adhikari's government has decided to award the contract to ISKCON.\n\n3. What items are not used in ISKCON's kitchen?\nISKCON's kitchens do not use eggs, garlic or onion.\n\n4. How has ISKCON responded on the nutrition concern?\nISKCON spokesperson Radharaman Das said protein is not found only in eggs but also in pulses and paneer, and that ISKCON serves such nutritious food to children.\n\n5. What did Naushad Siddiqui say about the decision?\nHe said paneer is expensive and that many poor families send their children to school because an egg is served there, so the decision is not in the interest of the poor.\n\n6. What is Kunal Ghosh's stand on the issue?\nTrinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh said he has no problem with ISKCON, but he is concerned about children's health and nutrition.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/politics/skuli-bachchon-ki-thali-se-ubala-anda-gayaba-ho-jaega-bengal-men-mida-de-mila-ko-lekara-chhira-siyasi-ghamasana-2774",
  "category": "Politics",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-24",
  "tags": [
    "mid-day meal",
    "ISKCON",
    "West Bengal",
    "egg controversy",
    "Suvendu Adhikari",
    "schoolchildren nutrition",
    "Trinamool Congress"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}