As many as 17 lakh hawkers who run non-veg, eggs, and fast food stalls and kiosks in Gujarat have threatened to launch a pitched agitation if the municipal corporations of Vadodara, Rajkot, and Junagadh do not withdraw their decision of removing them from the street sides.
This follows a sweeping decision of the elected wings of the BJP-run municipal corporations who have directed the executive wings to launch a drive against hawkers selling eggs and non-vegetarian food at streetside stalls.
They have stated that non-veg food hanging on public streets hurts the religious sentiments of Hindus. They also said that the smoke emanating from these stalls is a health hazard and they create traffic snarls.
The local civic bodies, however, do not seem to have the backing of the state BJP, though Revenue and Law Minister Rajendra Trivedi has welcomed the decision.
“There is no state-level decision to this effect, it may be the personal view of the local municipal corporators and the BJP has no such plans at the State level,” state BJP Spokesperson Yamal Vyas told Free Press Journal.
While Gujarat BJP president CR Patil could not be reached for comments despite several attempts, he told a section of the media on Saturday that the party didn't need to be associated with the personal opinions of the local bodies.
Meanwhile, what has caused embarrassment to the BJP is a picture of Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Darshana Jardosh, who is an MP from Surat, savoring egg delicacies at a famous joint in Surat that has gone viral on social media.
The picture is five years old when Irani had visited Surat and Jardosh took her to this joint.
