In Himachal, another ‘unsavoury’ row: BJP says protected fowl served at CM’s dinner; Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu: ‘it was desi murga’

Sukhu, however, hit back at the “issue-less” opposition and said that villagers had cooked “desi murga”, which he offered to others as “hum khaate nahi”. Slamming Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur of creating an issue where none exists, Sukhu emphasised that eating non-vegetarian food is a way of life in the hill state.

Earlier, Thakur and the BJP shared a video on their X handles in which Sukhu is seen sitting for dinner. In the video, the CM is heard purportedly saying, “Inko do jungli murga, hume thodi khana hai (Give them jungli murga, I don’t want to eat).” Sukhu then asks those sitting near him if they wish to eat the dish.

The video was shot at Tikkar, where Sukhu was having dinner with Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil and other officials Friday night. BJP leaders also shared a copy of the purported menu of the dinner, pointing out that item number 12 on the menu was ‘jungli murga’.

“It is shocking to see that a protected species was served at a dinner attended by the CM. Jungli murga is an endangered species listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act 2022. Hunting and eating this species is illegal,” said BJP spokesperson and state social media in-charge Chetan Bragta in a statement.

Former CM Jai Ram Thakur said on X, “People who consume protected species are penalized with fines and jail time. However, the CM gets menus printed and then enjoys watching his ministers relish it right in front of him. Is this what you call a system change?”.

Thakur also mentioned how the Congress had earlier attacked the BJP for allegedly spending crores on phulkas during their government’s programme ‘Janmanch’.

BJP MLA from Dharamshala, Sudhir Sharma urged the forest department to take action against the CM and the ministers.

Sukhu later issued a statement. “The villagers served desi murga for dinner, but I refused as I do not eat it. Due to health reason, I do not eat oily and non-vegetarian food. But since Jai Ram ji could not find any other issue, he chose to tarnish the reputation of our villagers. Opposition leaders have no issues left to raise and are merely working to damage the image of the villagers,” he added.

Thakur, however, claimed that Sukhu changed his words from “jungli” to “desi murga”.

A divisional forest officer said, “There are at least three-four species of junglefowl in Himachal Pradesh. These species are Schedule II protected under The Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022, an updated version of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Hunting or killing junglefowl is strictly prohibited.”

Forest officers, however, says that despite being an endangered species, hunting and eating of jungli murga is common in rural areas of the state, especially during the winter months.

On Friday, Sukhu was in Kupvi, a remote area about 108 km from Shimla as part of government’s new initiative Sarkar Aapke Dwar. During his visit, he distributed Rs 97.69 lakh to 2,171 women under the Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Yojna. Later, he visited Tikkar, where he dined with locals and spent the night.