Congress criticises all-vegetarian BRICS dinner menu, "imposing dietary preferences on foreign dignitaries"

The Congress has criticised the all-vegetarian menu served at the BRICS gala dinner in New Delhi, with party leaders accusing the BJP of imposing its dietary preferences on an international gathering.

The dinner on Saturday featured more than 10 vegetarian dishes, including Khandvi mille, Khumb Galauti, Paneer Lababdar, Himalayan morel mushrooms with asparagus, Carrot Bean Poriyal, millet pulao and beetroot raita. Desserts included Old Delhi fruit cream with jalebi and Shahdoot firni.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X, said 80% of Indians are non-vegetarian and praised Indian non-vegetarian food. Congress leader Pawan Khera accused the BJP of extending what he called its practice of imposing dietary preferences on Indians to foreign dignitaries.

Waris Pathan also criticised the menu, saying India’s culinary diversity should include non-vegetarian dishes such as mutton, chicken and fish. He said world leaders should have been presented with dishes including Hyderabadi biryani, tandoori chicken, butter chicken and Goan fish curry.

The BJP hit back, accusing the Congress of trivialising a major diplomatic event by focusing on the dinner menu instead of the BRICS summit’s resolutions, discussions on global challenges and India’s role in building consensus among member countries.

The BJP said the opposition was “sulking” over India’s growing influence in global affairs and was focusing on the menu because it had no substantive criticism of the summit.