New Delhi : No non-vegetarian option on the Howrah-Kamakhya Vande Bharat train has sparked a major row between West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP-led Centre ahead of the Assembly elections. Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent inauguration in the poll-bound state for the Bengal-Assam train, the Trinamool Congress said: “Just days ago, @narendramodi was busy boasting about giving Bengal a new Vande Bharat sleeper train.
Indian Railways said, “We have decided not to include non-vegetarian items because the train connects two auspicious places – Maa Kamakhya Temple and Maa Kali Temple. The menu we have provided includes healthy, hygienic and pure vegetarian food.” The worship of Goddess Kali and other Shakti Peethas, including the Maa Kamakhya Temple, has historically been linked to animal sacrifice – especially goats and buffaloes – a practice that has continued for centuries and persists in some traditions even today.
Highlighting the cultural significance of non-vegetarian food in the region and expressing outrage over the development, the Trinamool Congress wrote: “…The Prime Minister derides fish-eating Bengalis as ‘Mughals.’ Diktats are issued banning fish in Delhi. A poor street vendor is brutally assaulted for selling chicken patties.” The Trinamool Congress then concluded by claiming that at present, the BJP is targetting “what we eat.”
Positioning itself as a defender of regional identity, the party accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being “Bangla-birodhi” (anti-Bengali) and of attempting to impose homogenised cultural norms on a plural society. “Bengal will not take lessons on identity from those who neither understand nor respect it,” the statement said. So far, there has been no official response from the Railway Ministry or the BJP addressing the specific allegation regarding the Vande Bharat menu. The Vande Bharat Express services typically operate with centrally curated catering contracts, though menus can vary by route and operator.
The controversy adds to the ongoing political sparring between the TMC and the BJP ahead of upcoming electoral battles, with cultural identity, food habits, and federal autonomy increasingly becoming flashpoints. Whether the issue leads to any policy clarification or changes in onboard catering remains to be seen, but it has already reignited a larger debate on food, politics, and cultural pluralism in India.
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