New Delhi, Sept. 13 -- The BJP on Sunday slammed the Congress over criticism of the all-vegetarian food served at the BRICS summit gala dinner, saying the Opposition party is "sulking" as India has emerged as a global consensus builder and is taking the mentality of a "naraz fufa" to the international stage.
BJP leader and Union minister Kiren Rijiju lashed out at the Congress for its criticism.
"I can't believe that the Congress party is making politics even on the food menu served to the leaders of BRICS nations. Our guests relished Indian vegetarian cuisine which are rich in flavour and nutritional variety with diverse regional traditions," Rijiju said.
Sharing a screenshot of the menu served at the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for BRICS leaders and delegates at Bharat Mandapam on Saturday, Congress MP Pawan Khera said the BJP has taken its habit of imposing its dietary preferences a step further by doing so with dignitaries from across the world.
The Congress on Sunday said the BJP is now imposing its "deeply problematic" dietary preferences on dignitaries from across the world, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi pointing out that 80 per cent of Indians are non-vegetarian.
PM Modi hosted the dinner for the leaders and delegates of the BRICS Summit at the Bharat Mandapam on Saturday.
In a post on social media platforms X, Facebook and Instagram, Gandhi wrote, "For the record: 80 per cent of Indians are non-vegetarian. Indian non-vegetarian food is delicious. As are my sister's chole bhature."
He also posted a picture of chole bhature on a dining table.
Reacting to Gandhi's criticism, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said, "When the Opposition has nothing except the food menu to criticise about the summit, it tells you how successful BRICS has been."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.