24 mins ago
BRICS Vegetarian Dinner Menu Sparks Political Debate in India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a dinner for BRICS guests in India.
The dinner served only vegetarian food.
It included dishes from Gujarat, Awadh, Kashmir, southern India and Old Delhi.
Harsh Goenka said the meal showed how varied Indian vegetarian cooking can be.
The Congress party criticised the choice.
It said guests from around the world should not be given a menu based on one political party’s food preferences.
Rahul Gandhi said most Indians eat non-vegetarian food.
The disagreement became a political debate about how India should represent its food culture.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a dinner for BRICS leaders and delegates at Bharat Mandapam.
The all-vegetarian menu featured regional dishes including khandvi, mushroom galouti, gucchi, poriyal and jalebi with fruit cream.
Businessman Harsh Goenka defended the menu as an elaborate showcase of Indian vegetarian cuisine.
The Congress criticised the dinner, saying the BJP was imposing its dietary preferences on international dignitaries.
Rahul Gandhi said 80% of Indians are non-vegetarian and praised Indian non-vegetarian food, including chole bhature.
- Who
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted BRICS leaders and delegates; Harsh Goenka defended the menu, while the Congress and Rahul Gandhi criticised or questioned the choice.
- What
- An all-vegetarian Indian dinner menu prompted political debate over whether it properly represented the country’s cuisine and dietary preferences.
- Where
- Bharat Mandapam, India.
- When
- The dinner was reported as taking place on Saturday; Harsh Goenka’s post was dated September 13, 2026.
- Why
- The menu was intended to present a wide range of Indian vegetarian dishes, while critics objected that it did not represent the country’s non-vegetarian population.
Critics of the Menu
Defenders of the Menu
Representation of Indian diets
Critics of the Menu
The Congress argued that an exclusively vegetarian menu reflected the BJP’s dietary preferences and did not represent India’s non-vegetarian population. Rahul Gandhi said 80% of Indians are non-vegetarian.
Defenders of the Menu
Harsh Goenka argued that India has exceptionally rich vegetarian cuisine and that it was appropriate to showcase that tradition at the dinner.
How the menu should be judged
Critics of the Menu
Critics focused on the absence of non-vegetarian dishes and questioned whether the menu represented Indian food broadly enough for international guests.
Defenders of the Menu
Supporters highlighted the menu’s regional variety, including dishes from Gujarat, Awadh, Kashmir, southern India and Old Delhi, rather than treating it as an ordinary vegetarian spread.
Key facts
- Host
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi
- Occasion
- Dinner for BRICS leaders and delegates
- Venue
- Bharat Mandapam
- Menu type
- All-vegetarian
- Featured dishes
- Khandvi, khumb galouti, paneer lababdar, gucchi marmik, carrot bean poriyal, millet pulao, jalebi and shahtoot phirni
- Defense
- Harsh Goenka called the menu a culinary journey across India
- Criticism
- The Congress said the BJP was imposing its dietary preferences on international dignitaries
Quotes
Harsh Goenka
Indian businessman and commentator who defended the BRICS dinner menu
“And this is no ordinary veg menu: Khandvi from Gujarat, mushroom galouti from Awadh, gucchi from Kashmir, poriyal from the South, Old Delhi fruit cream with jalebi…a culinary journey across India”
businesstoday.in
“For the record: 80% of Indians are non-vegetarian. Indian non-vegetarian food is delicious. As are my sister's chole bhature.”
businesstoday.in
Sources
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