Bhopal, October 30: Reacting to the Madhya Pradesh government's plan to distribute eggs at anganwadis, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) termed the move as "interference" in religious beliefs. "We will oppose this. I think there should not be interference in the religious beliefs of the people," BJP's General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya told reporters on Wednesday. Chief Minister Kamal Nath has reportedly approved the proposal of distributing eggs at anganwadis. Kamal Nath Govt Opens Single Outlet to Sell Chicken and Cow Milk in Madhya Pradesh, BJP Says Move Will Hurt Hindu Sentiments.

The proposal was made before Kamal Nath during a presentation. The Chief Minister was told inclusion of eggs in the anganwadi menu could help the government fighting malnutrition and under-nutrition, especially in tribal-dominated areas. The Congress leader was apparently convinced with the argument. Right to Food campaigner Sachin Jain also wrote a letter to Nath last month requesting him to include eggs in the menu at the earliest.

A similar proposal had been made in the past as well but Nath's predecessor and senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan, a vegetarian, never gave his assent to it when he was in office till 2018. Earlier, a BJP leader had supported the proposal of giving eggs to children at anganawadis. Vijendra Singh Sisodia , former Chairman of Energy Development Corporation, had tweeted that egg is the most nutritious food for children.

If a child wishes to eat egg, then it should be included in diet, he had said. Earlier, the BJP had slammed the Congress in the state when it started a project of selling chicken and milk in the same outlet.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 30, 2019 04:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).