Kerala Tops Food Safety Index But Former Finance Minister Makes A Mess Of Sharing The News

A controversy has erupted after a former Kerala minister posted a picture of a beef dish while sharing the news that Kerala was ranked among the top performers in FSSAI's State Food Safety Index 2023-24.

In a post on X, Former Kerala finance minister and CPM leader Thomas Isaac said, "Kerala is ranked in the 1st position in National Food Safety Index of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India for the 2nd consecutive year. The index is based on performance over 40 areas including awareness creation, training, inspections, testing and prosecution".

Attached to the post was the image of beef-porotta.

Several social media users saw it as an intentional attempt to rile Hindu sentiments. They also questioned the timing of the post amid the ongoing controversy over alleged use of beef fat in the Tirupati laddus.

Over the years, Kerala has emerged as one state where some sections, including celebrities, frequently publicise and encourage beef consumption.

Many Malayalam films of recent times include scenes where characters are shown consuming beef dishes.

On Thomas Isaac's part, this is not the first time he has been caught trying to provoke Hindu sentiments.

Back in 2020, he had termed the Vamana avatar of Bhagwan Vishnu a 'cheat'.

In his tweet for extending wishes on Onam, Isaac wrote: "Happy Onam! We celebrate Mahabali who did not discriminate by caste or creed , not Vamana who cheated him.This edition of harvest festival has something to celebrate. Kerala has announced floor prices for 14 types of vegetables in its drive for self sufficiency in vegetables."

Isaac faced strong criticism from within and outside Kerala for his post then and is facing the same now.

Notably, Isaac is also being probed by the Enforcement Directorate for alleged violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) in the financial dealings of the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) during his tenure as the state finance minister.

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