After “Samosa” and “Sweet” now “Wild Rooster”. What Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu eats, what he doesn’t and what ultimately goes or disappears on his plate – has become the subject of political debate in Himachal Pradesh.
Embattled in a controversy that erupted after the CID ordered a probe into the “disappearance” of three boxes of samosas made for Sakhu, the BJP on Saturday alleged that the “jungli murga” (grey jungleful) is an endangered species. The chief minister served as part of a dinner he had with locals in Tikkar, a remote area of Shimla. Friday.
However, Sakhu fired back at the “issue-free” protest and said that the villagers had cooked “desi murga”, which he offered to others as “hum khate nahi”. Criticizing opposition party leader Jairam Thakur for raising a non-existent issue, Sakhu said non-vegetarian food is the livelihood in the hilly region.
Earlier, Thakur and BJP shared a video on their X handle in which Sukhu is seen sitting at a dinner. In the video, the chief minister is reportedly heard saying, “Inko do wild chicken, hame thodi khana hai (Give them wild chicken, I don’t want to eat). Sakhu then asks those sitting next to him if they would like to eat the dish.”
A video was taken of having dinner with Health Minister Dhaniram Shandil and other officials on Friday night in Tikkar. BJP leaders also shared a copy of the dinner’s purported menu, pointing out that item number 12 on the menu was ‘wild chicken’.
“It is surprising to see a protected species being served at a dinner organized by the Chief Minister. Wild fowl is an endangered species listed in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Conservation) Act, 1972 and the Wildlife (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2022. Hunting and eating this species is illegal,” BJP spokesperson and state social media in-charge Chetan said in a statement issued by Bragta.
Former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur said in X, “People who consume protected species are fined and jailed. However, the Chief Minister prints the menus and then watches his ministers enjoy themselves in front of him. Is this called system change?”
Thakur also said that the Congress had earlier attacked the BJP for spending crores on Phulka in the government’s program ‘Janamanch’.
BJP MLA from Dharamshala, Sudhir Sharma, asked the forest department to take action against the chief minister and ministers.
Sakhu later issued a statement. “The village served desi chicken for dinner, but I refused. For health reasons I do not eat oily and non-vegetarian food. But Jairam ji could not find any other issue, he chose to tarnish the reputation of our villagers. The opposition leaders have no issue left to raise and are only working to tarnish the image of the villagers,” he added.
However, Thakur claimed that Sakhu coined his word from ‘wild’ to ‘desi murga’.
A divisional forest officer said, “Himachal Pradesh has at least three-four species of forest arm. These species are protected under Schedule II of the Wildlife (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2022, an updated version of the Wildlife (Conservation) Act, 1972. Hunting or killing of wild birds is strictly prohibited.”
However, forest officials say that even though it is an endangered species, there is a tradition of hunting and eating wild roosters in the rural areas of the state, especially during winter months.
Sakhu was in Kupvi, a remote area 108 km from Shimla, on Friday under the government’s new initiative Sarkar Uka Dwar. During his visit, he distributed 97 lakh 69 thousand rupees to 2 thousand 171 women under Indira Gandhi Pari Bina Sukh Samman Nidhi Yojana. Later, he reached Tikkar, where he dined with the locals and spent the night.
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