2 hrs ago
School Paryushan Food Request Triggers Political Controversy in Mira-Bhayandar
A school in Mira Road East sent parents a message about food during Paryushan.
It asked them not to send onions, garlic, potatoes or beetroots in children’s lunch boxes.
The school canteen also planned to avoid those ingredients.
The request was based on Jain beliefs about non-violence during the festival.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Sachin Popale objected to the message.
He asked whether a school should tell families what food children can bring.
Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Narendra Mehta said the request was not compulsory.
He said the issue should not be turned into a political fight.
The disagreement has become part of wider local debates about food, festivals and community relations.
Seven Square Academy asked parents not to pack onions, garlic, potatoes or beetroots during Paryushan Parva.
The school said its canteen would also serve food prepared without those root vegetables.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena office-bearer Sachin Popale questioned the school’s authority to influence students’ meals.
Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Narendra Mehta said the message was a non-compulsory request based on Paryushan traditions.
The dispute follows an earlier disagreement over a proposed eight-day meat-sales restriction during Paryushan.
- Who
- Seven Square Academy, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena office-bearer Sachin Popale, and Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Narendra Mehta are central to the dispute.
- What
- A school’s request that students avoid certain root vegetables in their tiffins during Paryushan Parva prompted political objections.
- Where
- Seven Square Academy in Mira Road East, Mira-Bhayandar.
- When
- The request was made during Paryushan Parva; the article does not give a specific date.
- Why
- The school cited Paryushan traditions involving non-violence and avoiding harm to living beings; critics objected to the school influencing students’ food choices.
School and Supporters
Critics of the Request
Whether the message was appropriate
School and Supporters
Narendra Mehta said the school made a simple, non-compulsory request rooted in Paryushan’s non-violence traditions and said it should not be politicized.
Critics of the Request
Sachin Popale questioned whether the school administration had the authority to decide what students should bring in their tiffin boxes or eat.
Food choice and community relations
School and Supporters
The school’s position, as described by Mehta, was to respect a sacred festival period without imposing a mandate.
Critics of the Request
Popale and opponents of the earlier meat-sales proposal argued that dietary choices should remain free and warned that restrictions could create divisions between communities.
Key facts
- School
- Seven Square Academy
- Location
- Mira Road East, Mira-Bhayandar
- Requested restrictions
- Parents were asked not to send onions, garlic, potatoes or beetroots in tiffin boxes.
- Canteen policy
- The canteen was to serve food prepared without those ingredients during Paryushan.
- Critic
- Maharashtra Navnirman Sena office-bearer Sachin Popale
- School-linked politician
- Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Narendra Mehta
- Related earlier dispute
- A proposal for an eight-day ban on meat sales during Paryushan previously drew opposition.
Quotes
Narendra Mehta
BJP MLA linked to Seven Square Academy who clarified that the request was not compulsory.
“Paryushan Parva is a sacred period. Driven by the sentiment of non-violence and avoiding harm or slaughter of living beings, a simple request was made to parents. The WhatsApp message contained no forced mandate. This subject should not be politicized.”
freepressjournal.in
“If a Marathi entrepreneur opens a school tomorrow and asks students to bring chicken, mutton, or eggs during a festival, will the school administration accept that?”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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