Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, wrote on X: “For the record: 80% of Indians are non-vegetarian. Indian non-vegetarian food is delicious. As are my sister’s chole bhature.” He accompanied the post with a photograph of chole bhature.
His intervention came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted BRICS leaders, delegates and other dignitaries at Bharat Mandapam on Saturday evening during the 18th BRICS Summit. The dinner featured an entirely vegetarian spread designed around regional flavours, traditional preparations and millets.
The menu included khandvi mille-feuille, khumb galouti, paneer lababdar, gucchi marmik, carrot bean poriyal, thakkali bele saaru and millet pulao, accompanied by beetroot raita and assorted breads. Desserts included Old Delhi fruit cream with jalebi and shahtoot phirni, while pomegranate juice and coconut water were served as refreshments.
Millets were given a prominent place in the meal, with pearl millet used in the pulao, sorghum incorporated into breads and barnyard millet included in a dessert. The menu highlighted the grains’ nutritional value, comparatively low resource requirements and role in sustainable agriculture, continuing the government’s effort to promote millets internationally.
Gandhi’s reference to the share of non-vegetarians in the population was presented as a political criticism of the choice to showcase only vegetarian dishes at a major diplomatic event. He did not cite a source for the 80 per cent figure in his post, and dietary surveys use differing definitions and time periods when measuring meat, fish and egg consumption.
The Bharatiya Janata Party rejected the criticism and accused the Congress of turning the food served to foreign guests into a political issue. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the visiting leaders had relished the cuisine and argued that the dinner was intended to present the country’s diverse culinary traditions rather than fuel a debate over dietary preference.
The exchange added a domestic political dimension to a dinner that formed part of the summit’s diplomatic programme. Modi hosted the event for leaders and representatives from BRICS member states, partner countries and international organisations, with Union ministers, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and several chief ministers also attending.
The dinner arrangements placed ministers and other guests at separate tables with foreign delegates, allowing interaction alongside the formal programme. The menu was presented in Hindi and English and used regional dishes from different parts of the country, combining established recipes with contemporary presentation.
The vegetarian selection ranged from Gujarat-inspired khandvi to mushroom galouti kebabs, paneer in a tomato-and-shallot gravy, Himalayan morels with asparagus, a South Indian carrot-and-bean preparation and a lentil broth with tomatoes and curry leaves. The emphasis on regional variety was intended to give guests a broad sampling of the country’s food traditions within a single meal.
Gandhi’s post also drew attention because food choice has periodically become a politically sensitive subject, particularly when questions of cultural representation, personal preference and government-sponsored events overlap. His wording, however, focused narrowly on the dinner menu and the appeal of non-vegetarian dishes rather than making a broader policy demand.
The BRICS Summit was held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13 under India’s 2026 chairship, with the official theme centred on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability. The gathering brought together leaders from the expanded grouping as well as partner countries and international institutions.
The political argument unfolded as the summit remained focused on economic cooperation, reform of global institutions, development priorities and sustainability. Modi’s government had framed the presidency around strengthening institutional effectiveness and giving greater prominence to priorities of the Global South. The dinner therefore carried a representational role beyond hospitality, with its ingredients and presentation forming part of the host country’s cultural messaging to visiting delegations.
