If the Opposition leaders meet these days, the menu is invariably vegetarian fare.
The Opposition went from Parliament to meet the President on Friday evening, and on Monday, the INDIA group mobilised one of the biggest political marches in recent times from the Constitution Club to the Supreme Court. The party leadership has informed the INDIA allies that another march or demonstrations are unlikely to take place on Tuesday. The next two protests, however, didn’t have any lunch options. But the Congress’ frontal organisations, especially the Indian Youth Congress or the student body NSUI, might carry on their own protests. The next day, the lawmakers tried to march from Janpath to Jantar Mantar, but the Delhi police stopped them at the busy intersection of Raisina Road and Ashoka Road, and the leaders were detained. The INDIA bloc led a march to the Rajghat last Thursday, followed by a march from Parliament to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to submit a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu.
On Tuesday, at Gandhi’s residence, the seating arrangement was also well-planned. The INDIA group went to Sagar Ratna, a popular South Indian chain in Delhi. The leaders had dosa and idli on the menu. Top Opposition leaders, including Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, CPIM chief MA Baby, TMC’s Sagarika Ghose and NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule, shared the high table. Opposition MPs and other lawmakers who attended the meeting were seated in another section.
On Tuesday, when Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi hosted India bloc leaders over tea at his official residence, 5, Sunehri Bagh Road, the snacks were entirely vegetarian. On October 7, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had thrown a lunch for the Opposition lawmakers, which soon turned into a precursor to a march from Janpath to Jantar Mantar .
A senior non-Congress leader said the vegetarian fare was carefully picked as Navaratri has started.
