BJP lawmaker MLC Ramesh Arora has ruffled more than a few feathers by demanding a ban on what is undoubtedly one of India’s most popular street foods – the momo. Arora has criticised the dumplings as being both addictive and a health hazard, and feels that it should be boycotted immediately.
Our teenagers are getting addicted to the dumplings like drugs. It’s spoiling their health. We have to stop it.MLC Ramesh Arora, Member, J&K Legislative Council
According to a report by the National Herald, there seem to be undertones of xenophobia in Arora’s rhetoric as, he is conscious of the fact that “foreigners including Bangladeshi and Burmese” are usually the ones involved in the momo business.
Arora’s distaste for the momo is evident in his step to organise a conference on the issue in Jammu, which saw senior members of J&K High Court Bar Association, doctors, academics, municipal corporation officials, Drug and Food Control department and the district administration, in attendance.
The report also claims that Arora’s dislike for momos can be linked to his conviction that Ajinomoto, the salt used in the dumplings is a threat to one’s health. The report quotes Arora as saying:
Momo is a killer and we cannot allow a killer to grow in a civilised society. Ajinomoto is dangerous for health.
For his comments against the widely loved street food, Arora got trolled by Twitter users:
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)