Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Om Prakash Rajbhar on Monday backed his cabinet colleague Sanjay Nishad’s contention that fish prepared without garlic and onion could be considered vegetarian, while asking Congress to clarify whether the fish reportedly served at its Ayodhya event on Sunday was cooked with garlic and onion or without them

“Woh (Sanjay Nishad) keh rahe hain to sahi keh rahe honge. Machhli non-veg nahi hogi. Congress se poochhna chahiye ki pyaz-lahsun daal kar banaya tha ya bina milaye,” Rajbhar told reporters in Lucknow when asked to react to the controversy

However, when asked how fish could be called vegetarian, Rajbhar appeared to defer to Nishad. “Sanjay Nishad machhli ke mahir hain, unhe zyada jaankari hai, hum thode kam hain,” he said

Nishad, who heads the Nishad Party, had recently triggered a debate by claiming that fish prepared without garlic and onion was vegetarian

Rajbhar’s remarks came amid a political controversy over fish being cooked at a Congress meeting in Tarun area of Ayodhya on Sunday

The meeting was organised by Ram Nihal Nishad, who recently switched from BJP to Congress, to welcome UP Congress president Ajay Rai. A video showing fish being cooked at the venue surfaced after the event and drew sharp reactions from BJP leaders

Rai has defended the event, saying it was organised by members of the Nishad community, for whom fish is an important part of their food culture. He has also questioned where the evidence was that his presence at the event amounted to a violation of Sanatan traditions.The BJP has accused Congress of hurting religious sentiments by organising the event during Sawan