- Former Iceland President Olafur Grimsson served an all-vegetarian meal to President Kalam in 2005.
- BRICS summit dinner hosted by PM Modi featured a traditional and contemporary vegetarian menu.
- Congress criticised the all-vegetarian menu, highlighting India's non-vegetarian diversity.
Amid opposition criticism of the all-vegetarian menu at the BRICS summit, former Iceland President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson recalled serving an entirely vegetarian meal to then-President APJ Abdul Kalam during his 2005 state visit to Iceland.
"When I hosted the President of India for state dinner on the first such visit to a Nordic country, I also offered an all-vegetarian menu. More than 20 years ago! And in Iceland where it is not easy to be vegetarian!!" Grimsson wrote on X.
Grimsson, who served as Iceland's president from 1996 to 2016, hosted Kalam during his first visit to Iceland and the wider Nordic region.
His post came in response to comments mocking the BRICS state dinner because it featured an all-veg spread.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the BRICS leaders for the dinner at Bharat Mandapam on Saturday. The menu showcased Indian cuisine and featured an array of traditional and contemporary vegetarian dishes.
Read | Opposition BRICSbats: Congress Pans Veg Menu, Samajwadi Questions Outcomes
Among the items served were khandvi, paneer lababdar, gucchi marmik, millet pulao, mushroom galouti and jalebi.
BRICS gala dinner menu
A day after an all-vegetarian spread was served at a BRICS Summit gala dinner, the Congress on Sunday said the BJP is now imposing its "deeply problematic" dietary preferences on dignitaries from across the world, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi pointing out that 80 per cent of Indians are non-vegetarian.
In a post on social media platforms X, Facebook and Instagram, Gandhi wrote, "For the record: 80% of Indians are non-vegetarian. Indian non-vegetarian food is delicious. As are my sister's chole bhature." He also posted a picture of chole bhature on a dining table.
While Gandhi made no direct reference to the BRICS dinner, Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera shared the screenshot of the menu from the dinner and attacked the BJP.
"The BJP's habit of imposing its dietary preferences on fellow Indians is already deeply problematic. Now, they have taken it a step further by imposing their own choices on dignitaries from across the world," Khera said on X.
India is a rich, diverse, multi-cuisine country, home to some of the finest non-vegetarian delicacies that people across the world relish and enjoy, he said.
So why did the Modi government choose to hide this part of India's culture, Khera asked.
"Is it ashamed of the diversity that makes India what it is," the Congress leader asked.
BJP leader and Union minister Kiren Rijiju lashed out at the Congress for its criticism "I can't believe that the Congress party is making politics even on the food menu served to the leaders of BRICS nations. Our guests relished Indian vegetarian cuisine which are rich in flavour and nutritional variety with diverse regional traditions," Rijiju said.
