Indian author Sudha Murty’s 'pure vegetarian' remarks leave internet divided

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Indian author Sudha Murty has sparked a debate among social media users after the 72-year-old said that she is a 'pure vegetarian' and carries her own food when travelling abroad. Many users came in support of Murty, while others slammed her for her remarks.

Sudha Murty, who is the mother-in-law of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, made the comments during an episode of the Khaane Me Kya Hai show on YouTube hosted by food writer Kunal Vijayakar.

Stating that she is a 'pure vegetarian' and doesn’t even consume eggs, Murty said one of her biggest fears is "that the same spoon may have been used for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes".

Murty said whenever she travels outside India she looks for a 'pure vegetarian restaurant' and carries her own food. "So when I travel, I look for a pure vegetarian restaurant. And I carry an entire bag full of food. I used to tease my grannies decades ago when they would carry their own food. I used to ask them why can't you eat the food that's available there? But now I behave like them," the wife of Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy said.

After the show was aired, Murty’s comments about her eating habits drew a lot of attention and left users divided.

"I did not understand why so many people went after Sudha Murty. I am not an admirer of Sudha Murty, but frankly she said nothing objectionable here, nor is she imposing her dietary choices on others. On the contrary, she makes an effort to live by her choices and is not changing others,” tweeted Indian political analyst, Tehseen Poonawalla.

However, Murty’s statements did not go down well with a section of users.

Amid the controversy, a photo of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surfaced where he is seen holding plates of cooked meat at a barbeque.

Another said, “Pure vegetarians should not even drink water. Pretty sure a fish would have touched it sometime."