- Vice President CP Radhakrishnan advocated for respecting diverse food choices in India
- He shared ensuring non-vegetarian food for Kashmiri students as Jharkhand Governor
- Radhakrishnan emphasised pride in one's sentiments without degrading others' feelings
Vice President CP Radhakrishnan today strongly advocated for dietary freedom in the country. CP Radhakrishnan asked people to respect food choices and not to degrade the sentiments of others while being proud of your own.
Speaking at the 21st Convocation of the University of Kashmir, the Vice President said that as Governor of Jharkhand, he asked his office to provide non-vegetarian food to Kashmiri students during their visit to the state, despite being a vegetarian himself.
Radhakrishnan recalled a visit from a student delegation from Jammu and Kashmir to Raj Bhawan in Ranchi.
"We are democrats, and we have to accept the sentiments. We can be proud of our own sentiments, no problem in that. But that doesn't mean we should degrade the sentiments of others. That is not good, and no true democrat will do that," said the Vice President amid thunderous applause.
"The Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme was introduced when I was the Governor of Jharkhand. A big team of young students from Jammu and Kashmir had come to Ranchi. They were surprised by the reception. I asked our people ( Raj Bhawan) to serve non-vegetarian food because I knew that most of them are non-vegetarian, though I'm a vegetarian," said Radhakrishnan.
He said that he instructed Raj Bhawan that Kashmiri students should be served with "non-vegetarian or what they like."
During his address, the Vice President expressed special happiness over three significant aspects of the convocation: that the Minister for Higher Education in Jammu and Kashmir is a woman, the Vice-Chancellor of the University is a woman, and that a majority of gold medal recipients were women. He described this as a powerful reflection of women's empowerment and progress in Jammu & Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also addressed the convocation. About 60,000 degrees were conferred. They congratulated graduating students, medal winner and degree recipients.
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