Ban on Samosa-Jalebi: Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh called the health Ministry's advice a fatwa. Asked whether samosa-jalebi is like cigarettes, for which a statutory warning is required
West bengal Chief minister mamata banerjee on tuesday (July 15, 2025) dismissed reports of a ban on popular snacks like samosa and jalebi, saying that her government would not implement any such directive.
Mamata's comment comes after the Union health Ministry urged all ministries and departments to put up boards indicating the amount of sugar and oil present in snacks like samosas, kachoris, pizzas, burgers, French fries, soft drinks, gulab jamun, and vada pav to promote a healthy lifestyle and tackle obesity.
What did mamata say about banning samosas and jalebis?
The trinamool congress supremo said in a post on X, "Some reports in the media have said that based on the instructions of the health Ministry, samosas/jalebis cannot be eaten from now on. This is not a notification issued by the West bengal government. We are not interfering in every matter. We will not implement it. I think samosas and jalebis are popular in other states too. people of those states also like these foods. We should not interfere with the eating habits of people."
The health Ministry has issued instructions.
The health Ministry has also called for printing health messages on all official stationery, such as letterheads, envelopes, notepads, folders, and publications, to fight obesity. However, Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh termed this advice as a fatwa and announced that the state would not implement it.
Ghosh said, "The Centre has its eyes on samosas and jalebis. Various fatwas are being issued. Such fatwas will not be implemented in West bengal under mamata Banerjee's leadership." He said that people have complete freedom to enjoy these dishes, provided their quality is maintained. Ghosh said, "Who eats what and how; there will be no interference on this in Bengal."
He wondered whether samosas and jalebis were like cigarettes, which required statutory warnings.
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