Oppn roasts Modi govt over vegetarian menu at BRICS gala

New Delhi: Opposition leaders have criticised the Indian government over the all-vegetarian menu served at the BRICS Summit in the Capital this weekend, which brought together several world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping.

They have alleged that the government was imposing vegetarian food on the international guests, and “hiding” India’s diverse culinary culture by excluding non-vegetarian food from the menu. Congress MP Pawan Khera questioned why the Modi government was “ashamed” of India’s diversity.

“The BJP’s habit of imposing its dietary preferences on fellow Indians is already deeply problematic. Now, they have taken it a step further by imposing their own choices on dignitaries from across the world. India is a rich, diverse, multi-cuisine country, home to some of the finest non-vegetarian delicacies that people across the world relish and enjoy.

So why did the Modi government choose to hide this part of India’s culture? Is it ashamed of the diversity that makes India what it is?” he posted on X.

The BJP’s habit of imposing its dietary preferences on fellow Indians is already deeply problematic. Now, they have taken it a step further by imposing their own choices on dignitaries from across the world.

The gala dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam Saturday featured an entirely vegetarian spread. The menu included khandvi mille and khumb galouti as starters, followed by paneer lababdar, gucchi marmik, carrot bean poriyal, thakkali belle saaru and millet pulao. The dessert section had Old Delhi fruit cream with jalebi and shahtoot phirni.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi also took a veiled swipe, without mentioning BRICS Summit or the menu, and posted a picture of chole bhature with the caption: “For the record: 80% of Indians are non-vegetarian. Indian non-vegetarian food is delicious. As are my sister’s chole bhature.”

Other Opposition leaders, including Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, also criticised the decision to not include non-vegetarian options.

“Would I be a bad MP if I advised the visiting BRICS leaders to give this menu a miss & get security to nip down to the nearest Karims & bring back some Burra Kababs…” Mahua Moitra wrote on X.

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