Rahul Gandhi Highlights Indian Non-Veg Cuisine, Amid BRICS Summit Vegetarian Dinner Debate

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi appeared to take a veiled swipe at the menu served during the BRICS Summit, saying Indian non-vegetarian food is “delicious” while highlighting his sister’s chole bhature. Gandhi did not directly refer to the summit menu in his social media post, but his remarks came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a gala dinner for BRICS leaders on Saturday featuring a selection of Indian regional delicacies. The dinner menu consisted entirely of vegetarian dishes, according to the information shared about the event.

Gandhi shared a photograph of a lunch spread featuring chole bhature on his social media accounts and wrote a cryptic message about India’s food preferences. “For the record: 80% of Indians are non-vegetarian. Indian non-vegetarian food is delicious as are my sister's chole bhature,” he wrote. The post did not explicitly mention the BRICS dinner or Prime Minister Modi, leaving users to interpret the timing and context of his comments. His reference to the proportion of Indians who eat non-vegetarian food appeared alongside his praise for the popular North Indian dish.

The remarks came after the BRICS Summit brought together leaders and representatives from several countries, including China, Russia, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and Egypt. As part of the summit proceedings, Modi hosted a gala dinner on Saturday for the visiting leaders. The meal was designed around Indian regional cuisine and featured vegetarian dishes. The dinner formed part of the hospitality extended to the leaders attending the summit in New Delhi, where discussions were held on issues concerning BRICS members and partner countries.

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Gandhi’s social media post therefore drew attention because of its timing and its emphasis on non-vegetarian Indian cuisine. Rather than directly criticising the menu, he framed his message around what he described as the food preferences of Indians and then added a personal reference to his sister’s chole bhature. The post quickly became part of the political conversation surrounding the summit, even though Gandhi did not specifically state that he was objecting to the vegetarian spread served to the visiting leaders.

The BRICS dinner itself was part of the broader diplomatic engagements surrounding India’s hosting of the summit. Food and regional cuisine often form part of official hospitality during major international gatherings, allowing host countries to showcase their culinary traditions to visiting delegations. In this case, the menu reportedly focused exclusively on vegetarian Indian dishes, with regional specialities forming part of the dinner served to the BRICS leaders. The event brought together a diverse group of leaders and participants from countries with different culinary traditions and dietary practices.

Gandhi’s comments have consequently been interpreted by some as a reference to the vegetarian BRICS menu, although his post did not make such a connection explicitly. His statement that Indian non-vegetarian food is delicious, followed by his praise for chole bhature, was shared as the summit was underway and quickly attracted attention. The post also added a political angle to what was otherwise a diplomatic dinner centred on Indian cuisine. While the BRICS leaders were hosted with a vegetarian regional spread, Gandhi used his social media post to highlight India’s broader food culture and the popularity of non-vegetarian cuisine among Indians.

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