Himachal CM Sukhu having dinner in Shimla's Tikkar (image-Facebook/Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu)

Himachal Pradesh: Another unusual and contentious topic of political discussion in Himachal Pradesh related to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh has been served. Following the mystery of the missing samosas and mithais, this time it’s a row over “jungle murga.” The BJP on Saturday alleged that the Grey Junglefowl, an endangered species, was served as part of dinner that Sukhu had with locals in Shimla’s Tikkar region on Friday.

The allegations arose when a video surfaced on social media where Sukhu, during a public event, can be heard saying, “Inko do jungli murga, humein thodi khana hai (Give them wild chicken, I don’t want to eat).” The chief minister can be heard asking those sitting beside him if they want to eat the dish.

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Soon after, BJP MLA Jai Ram Thakur launched an attack accusing the state government of organising picnics at the expense of the state exchequer. The party leaders also shared a copy of the alleged menu of the dinner and highlighted an item number 12 on the menu that said “Jungli Murga.”

The chief minister hit back at the opposition and said that the villagers had used “desi murga,” which he offered to those sitting around him. Responding to BJP’s Thakur, Sukhu slammed the party for picking up “bizarre issues” instead of talking about pressing concerns.

The Himachal CM clarified, “What should I say about something that did not happen? It was not a wild chicken; it is part of their tribal culture. When I said I don’t consume non-veg food, they clarified that it wasn’t a store-bought chicken but country chicken from their village. We didn’t go there to eat; we went to listen to people’s problems. BJP has no real issues, so they are picking up bizarre issues like this.”

CM Sukhu also added that the villagers had served “desi murga” which he refused to eat as he doesn’t eat oily food or non-vegetarian food.

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

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According to forest officers, despite being an endangered species, hunting and consuming junglefowls is common in rural areas, especially during the winter season.

The junglefowls 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.