Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Monday, 14 September 2026, sharply rebuked Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for objecting to only vegetarian food being served at the BRICS Summit hosted by India, saying Gandhi's personal discomfort should not be projected as the entire nation's concern. Singh's remarks added a fresh political dimension to the ongoing debate over India's culinary choices for the high-profile multilateral gathering.

Singh's Rebuke to Rahul Gandhi

Responding to Gandhi's criticism, Singh said Indian cuisine embodied the country's traditions and diversity, and that presenting it to foreign dignitaries was a source of national pride. 'If Rahul Gandhi is disturbed, does that mean the entire country's mind should be disturbed?' Singh asked pointedly. He drew a parallel with the G20 Summit, noting that traditional Indian dishes had been served then too, and that promoting Shree Anna (millets) before a global audience was an achievement, not a shortcoming.

Singh also took a sardonic tone toward Gandhi's implicit demand for non-vegetarian options. 'When the Prime Minister of Malaysia visited, you could have invited the BRICS delegation and served red and white meat. If green meat is prepared somewhere, you could have searched for it and brought that too,' Singh said, adding that the decision was firmly in keeping with Indian traditions of hosting guests.

BRICS Summit as a Symbol of India's Global Standing

Stepping back from the food controversy, Singh framed India's hosting of the BRICS Summit as evidence of the country's rising international stature and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. He claimed that leading newspapers in America, England, Germany, and Japan had highlighted India's growing strength. Singh credited Modi with articulating India's position on several global challenges, including free shipping lanes — an issue of strategic relevance to India's maritime trade interests.

Singh Attacks Congress on UCC and Vote-Bank Politics

The minister used the occasion to widen his attack on the Indian National Congress, accusing it of practising vote-bank politics over the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). Singh alleged that Jawaharlal Nehru had divided society along communal lines and that Congress had perpetuated that division through measures like Article 370 and Article 35A in Jammu and Kashmir. 'The Congress did vote-bank politics. Shouldn't there be one country, one law?' he said, reiterating the BJP's long-standing UCC plank. Singh claimed UCC implementation was already underway in several states and would eventually extend 'from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.'

He also credited Home Minister Amit Shah with the abrogation of Article 370, saying the process was completed without violence — a contrast, he implied, to opposition warnings of unrest at the time.

West Bengal Madrasa Row Draws Singh's Fire at Mamata

Reacting to the West Bengal government's order to shut down 252 madrasas, Singh alleged that illegal religious schools had proliferated along the Bangladesh border under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's administration. 'Along the Bangladesh border, on the no-man's land, especially along the border adjoining Bengal, illegal madrasas have been opened under Mamata Banerjee's rule,' he alleged, adding that illegal activities had followed. Notably, Singh thanked 'Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari' for the action — a factual misidentification, since Adhikari is the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal, not the Chief Minister; the state is governed by the Trinamool Congress (TMC). NationPress could not independently verify the claim about border-area madrasas.

Political Context

The BRICS menu controversy reflects a broader pattern of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) framing food and cultural choices at international events as expressions of national identity, while opposition voices — particularly Congress — have argued for inclusivity. This is not the first time dietary preferences at a state-hosted summit have triggered political exchanges; similar debates followed the G20 under India's presidency. The UCC and Article 370 remarks signal that Singh's press interaction was as much an opportunity to press BJP's ideological agenda ahead of upcoming state elections as it was a response to Gandhi's food critique.