The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has taken a jibe at the ruling BJP government at the Centre and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of imposing cultural and dietary choices on eastern India by introducing vegetarian only food on the country’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper Express, which connects West Bengal and Assam, both states dominated by non-vegetarian population!

The Trinamool Congress accused the Central government of pushing Bengalis into submission by doing this and warned, “Bengal will not take lessons on identity from those who neither understand nor respect it.”

The controversy has erupted days after West Bengal and Assam received the country’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper Express, which will run six days a week on the Howrah–Kamakhya route. Passengers booking tickets online are being shown only vegetarian food options, with no non-vegetarian alternatives available.

First they policed our votes, now they’re policing our plates: Trinamool Congress

Taking to X, Trinamool Congress wrote, “First they policed our votes. Now they’re policing our plates. Just days ago, @narendramodi was busy boasting about giving Bengal a new Vande Bharat sleeper train. What he didn’t mention however is that on the Vande Bharat train running from Bengal to Assam, fish and meat have been taken off the menu. A train connecting two regions where people cherish non-vegetarian food now offers only vegetarian options.”

Taking a jibe at PM Modi, the party wrote, “This is the natural extension of a mindset where 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.”

Bengalis are pushed into submission: Trinamool Congress takes a jibe at BJP

“Today it’s what we eat. Tomorrow it’s what we wear. Who we love. How we live. What we’re witnessing is the ‘Banchte Chai, BJP Tai’ model, where Bengalis are pushed into submission by Bangla-Birodhi Zamindars imposing monolithic, homogenised identities on our plural ethos. Bengal will not take lessons on identity from those who neither understand nor respect it,” the post further mentions.

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Arup Chakraborty earlier escalated the issue, saying, “The Prime Minister inaugurated this train after coming to Bengal. The BJP wants to run Vande Bharat over Bengalis’ fish-and-rice plates. In response, the people of Bengal will run the ‘Andolan Local’ over the BJP’s outlook in the Assembly elections.”

Food Menu on India’s first sleeper Vande Bharat

India’s first Vande Bharat sleeper train, launched on the Howrah-Kamakhya route has hit the headlines for its thoughtfully curated onboard dining experience. The train offers passengers to a menu inspired by the rich culinary traditions of West Bengal and Assam.

The menu has been designed by Guwahati’s Mayfair Spring Valley Resort in collaboration with IRCTC. In Vande Bharat, passengers can enjoy classic Bengali dishes such as Basanti pulao, cholar dal, moong dal, chanar dalna, and dhokar dalna. Reflecting Assam’s food heritage, the menu features joha rice, mati mohor, masoor dali, and seasonal vegetable bhajis.

Since no Indian regional menu is complete without desserts, passengers can indulge in traditional sweets like sandesh, narikol burfi, and roshogolla, highlighting culinary traditions of both Bengal and Assam.

The Howrah-Kamakhya Vande Bharat Sleeper covering nearly 1,000 km and is India’s first overnight Vande Bharat service. Key features include 16 sleeper coaches (First AC, AC 2-tier, AC 3-tier) with capacity for 823 passengers, ergonomic berths and automatic doors, advanced suspension and noise-reduction systems, Kavach anti-collision technology for enhanced safety, and speeds of up to 130 km/h, ensuring faster and more reliable connectivity between Eastern India and the Northeast.

The train will depart Howrah at 6:20 pm and reach Kamakhya at 8:20 am the next day, while the return service will leave Kamakhya at 6:15 pm and arrive in Howrah at 8:15 am.

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