Lazy new generation moms to blame for rise in Maggi sale: BJP MLA’s shocker

Mnagalore Today Network-1

Indore: June 7, 2015: With many states banning Maggi over mounting food safety concern, a BJP MLA has sought to blame ’new generation mothers’ for rise in its sale, saying they have become lazy and hence feed their children two-minute noodles.

"I don’t know why the mothers have become so lazy (that they feed their kids instant noodles)? Mothers of our generation used to serve homemade food like ’paratha’, ’halwa’ and ’sivaia’ to their children," Usha Thakur, a ruling party MLA from Indore had said on Saturday, while justifying the ban on sale of Maggi noodles that drew criticism for dangerously high levels of lead and chemical flavour enhancer Monosodium Glutamate (MSG).

Thakur’s remarks drew sharp reaction from the opposition - Congress, which said the woman legislator has disrespected mothers. "The BJP MLA, by dubbing Indian mothers as lazy, has shown disrespect towards them. For this, she must apologise to them," Archana Jaiswal, a senior Congress leader, told PTI on Sunday.

"Her statement is laughable and has no basis," said Jaiswal, a former state unit president of Mahila Congress. Thakur had also said the government’s banning Maggi was a step in the right direction and served public health interest.

"Instant food items like Maggi noodles should be boycotted," the BJP legislator had said.

Health experts say excessive intake of lead can cause damage to the kidneys, bones and nervous system and is particularly harmful to children and can cause learning disorders. MSG, on the other hand, can damage the nervous system with long-term use. As a lot of states banned Maggi, Nestle recalled the popular snack across the country.