Religious tensions in India

Listed as eggs removed from school menus in West Bengal

A political storm has erupted in India after eggs were removed from school menus in the populous state of West Bengal, AFP reports.

India's political map was shaken in early May when the Hindu nationalist ruling party BJP won the state's elections for the first time. The BJP often advocates vegetarianism as part of its nationalist agenda, and recently announced that a religious charity will provide free, vegetarian meals to all schools in West Bengal.

Public health advocates are concerned that many children, especially from poor families, could miss out on an important source of protein and nutrients when eggs disappear from the menu. But the state's education minister, Dipak Barman, is not worried.

"There are many people in our country who live a healthy life on a vegetarian diet," he says.

Teachers fear attendance will drop when eggs are smoked

Teacher Raja Dey in the Indian state of West Bengal fears that school absenteeism will increase when eggs are now removed from the school menu, reports AFP.

The background to the egg ban is the political shift in the populous state. In May, the Hindu nationalist ruling party BJP took power in West Bengal, and now the party has decided that all school meals will be strictly vegetarian. The decision is not without controversy and has caused great criticism in the state. According to Raja Dey, there are extra children who come to school on days when eggs are served.

"School lunches have been one of the biggest attractions in the state's primary schools," he says.