New Delhi: Pointing out that only vegetarian food was served at the official dinner of the 18th BRICS Summit held in Delhi under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi has sharply criticized the central government, saying, “80% of Indians eat non-vegetarian food.”
This banquet was hosted to showcase India’s culinary and cultural heritage to international leaders. It featured only vegetarian dishes that highlighted the nation’s pride in ‘Shri Anna’ millets and environmental sustainability. Accordingly, dishes such as kandvi, paneer lababdar, kuksi marmik, millet pulao, mushroom galouti, and jalebi were served.
Amid a debate on social media over the absence of non-vegetarian dishes from the official food menu, Rahul Gandhi, in a post on his X account, said, “According to data, 80% of Indians eat non-vegetarian food; not only Indian non-vegetarian dishes, but also the chole bhature prepared by his sister (a traditional North Indian vegetarian dish) is very tasty.”
Although Rahul Gandhi did not cite any direct evidence for his 80 percent figure, the National Family Health Survey shows that 83.4% of Indian men and 70.6% of women aged 15 to 49 eat fish, chicken, or meat at least occasionally.
While some people on the internet questioned this conclusion, others praised the vegetarian menu as a move that reflects India’s culinary heritage.