Sonu Tyagi Counters Rahul Gandhi’s ‘80% Indians Are Non-Vegetarian’ Claim And ‘Non-Veg Food Is Delicious’ Remark.

Mumbai, Maharashtra, 13th of September, 2026 : Sonu Tyagi, award-winning writer, director and producer and Founder of Go Spiritual and Approach Entertainment Group, has strongly countered Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claim that “80% of Indians are non-vegetarian” and his remark that “Indian non-vegetarian food is delicious,” calling the 80% assertion a sweeping and misleading representation of India’s complex food habits and questioning why the life of an animal should be reduced to a matter of taste.

Gandhi made the remarks amid discussion over the vegetarian menu served at the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. Tyagi said both statements deserve scrutiny—not from a political perspective, but from the standpoint of facts, India’s spiritual traditions and compassion towards animals.

“The claim that 80% of Indians are non-vegetarian is a sweeping way of presenting an extremely diverse country. Where does this 80% figure come from? India cannot be reduced to one convenient statistic. And describing non-vegetarian food as ‘delicious’ is a personal preference, not a universal truth,” Tyagi said.

Available survey evidence presents a considerably more complex picture. A nationally representative Pew Research Center survey of 29,999 Indian adults found that 39% identify as vegetarian, while 61% do not. More significantly, 81% of Indians limit meat consumption in some way—by being vegetarian, avoiding certain meats or abstaining from meat on particular days. Among Hindus, 44% identify as vegetarian, while 83% either identify as vegetarian or restrict meat in some form.

“Not identifying as strictly vegetarian does not mean that someone regularly eats meat or that non-vegetarian food defines their diet,” Tyagi said. “India has strict vegetarians, predominantly vegetarian families, occasional meat eaters and millions who abstain on religious days or avoid particular meats. Calling all of this ‘80% non-vegetarian India’ creates a misleading picture.”

Tyagi said the issue becomes even more important when viewed through India’s Hindu and Sanatan spiritual heritage. Hindu society has diverse regional food traditions, including both vegetarian and non-vegetarian practices, but Ahimsa, Karuna, Daya, Sattvic living, fasting, vegetarian Prasad and respect for living beings have deep roots within Hindu and Sanatan Dharma.

“Hindus constitute India’s largest religious community, and there is enormous diversity within Hindu society. But we should not allow that diversity to erase the higher spiritual ideals of Ahimsa and Karuna. Sanatan Dharma encourages us to expand our consciousness and compassion towards all living beings,” Tyagi said.

Responding specifically to Gandhi’s “delicious” remark, Tyagi said: “Taste Cannot Be Greater Than Life. Something may taste delicious to a person, but what was the cost to another living creature? Should an animal lose its entire life for a few moments of pleasure on our tongue? Animals experience fear, pain and the instinct to survive. Spirituality asks us to recognise that life.”

He added that India has one of the world’s richest vegetarian culinary traditions, encompassing countless preparations based on vegetables, pulses, grains, millets, fruits, dairy products and traditional Sattvic foods.

“Why should India feel apologetic about serving vegetarian food to world leaders? India can offer extraordinary cuisine without taking an animal’s life. That should be celebrated as a strength of Indian civilisation, not treated as inadequate representation,” Tyagi said.

Tyagi clarified that Go Spiritual does not believe in imposing vegetarianism or attacking people for their food choices.

“We advocate; we do not impose. We appeal; we do not threaten. A vegetarian does not automatically become a better human being, and a non-vegetarian should never be hated or humiliated. But freedom of choice does not mean that we stop discussing the ethical consequences of our choices.”

Through its Go Veg campaign, Go Spiritual advocates vegetarianism, Ahimsa and animal compassion through awareness and voluntary transformation.

“Even if 80% were non-vegetarian, would that make killing an animal compassionate? Morality cannot be decided by percentages. Majority behaviour does not automatically become an ethical ideal. Human consciousness evolves when we question whether our choices cause unnecessary suffering,” Tyagi said.

He concluded: “Rahul Gandhi is entitled to his personal food preferences, like every Indian. But India is greater than an ‘80% non-vegetarian’ statistic. Indian cuisine is greater than meat. And life is greater than taste. An animal’s life is greater than a few moments of taste. Let us choose compassion whenever we have the choice.”

Sonu Tyagi is an award-winning writer, director and producer and Founder of Go Spiritual and Approach Entertainment Group. With more than two decades of experience across media, journalism, advertising, public relations, films and entertainment, Tyagi advocates spirituality, humanity, vegetarianism, Ahimsa, animal compassion and mental-health awareness. He believes spirituality should extend beyond rituals and become visible in everyday choices, relationships and the way human beings treat other living beings. Sonu Tyagi

Go Spiritual is a Spiritual and Wellness Organization working across Spirituality, Philanthropy & Social Causes, Spiritual Awareness, Mental Health & Wellness, Ayurveda & Holistic Living, Spiritual Tourism, Media and Events. Through its Go Veg campaign, the organisation promotes vegetarianism, Ahimsa, kindness towards animals and conscious living through awareness rather than force. Its media initiative, Go Spiritual News Magazine & App, focuses on spirituality, wellness, humanity and positive social change.

Approach Entertainment Group, founded by Sonu Tyagi, is an award-winning entertainment, media and communications group. Approach Entertainment works across Celebrity & Talent Management, Film Productions, Advertising & Corporate Film Productions, Film Marketing, Events and Entertainment Marketing. Approach Communications is an award-winning PR, Digital and Integrated Communications Agency, while Approach Bollywood is a Bollywood & Entertainment Newswire, Portal & App. Approach Entertainment Approach Communications Approach Bollywood