The menu served at the BRICS gala dinner in Delhi has unexpectedly become a subject of debate after organisers opted for a completely vegetarian spread, a decision that drew criticism from Opposition leaders. Amid the controversy, former Iceland President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson recalled hosting then-President APJ Abdul Kalam at a state dinner in Iceland in 2005, where he too served an entirely vegetarian menu.
Grimsson, 83, was Iceland’s President from 1996 to 2016. During his presidency, he hosted Kalam on his first visit to Iceland and the broader Nordic region.
“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 posted on X.
His comments came after a post claimed that some people were ridiculing the BRICS state dinner because the menu was vegetarian.
BRICS DINNER MENU TRIGGERS DEBATE
The controversy began after Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted BRICS leaders at Bharat Mandapam during the two-day summit in Delhi, offering them a distinctly Indian vegetarian dinner.
The spread included a mix of traditional and modern Indian vegetarian dishes such as khandvi, paneer lababdar, gucchi marmik, millet pulao, mushroom galouti and jalebi.
Millets were given special importance, highlighting India’s promotion of Shree Anna as well as its broader focus on sustainability. The dinner also sought to present India’s rich culinary heritage to the visiting world leaders.
While several people appreciated the menu as a showcase of Indian cuisine, others questioned why it did not include any non-vegetarian dishes.
RAHUL GANDHI AND PAWAN KHERA CRITICISE MENU
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi criticised the choice, saying the menu failed to represent the food preferences of a significant portion of Indians.
“For the record: 80 per cent of Indians are non-vegetarian. Indian non-vegetarian food is delicious. As are my sister's chole bhature,” Gandhi posted on X on Sunday, along with a photograph of the popular North Indian dish.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera also supported Gandhi’s criticism and accused the government of imposing its dietary preferences on international guests.
“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.
He pointed out that India’s food culture includes an extensive variety of non-vegetarian cuisine and questioned why such dishes were not included in a dinner meant to showcase the country to visiting leaders.
India hosted the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, with leaders from the expanded 11-member grouping attending alongside partner countries and international organisations.
The summit ended on Sunday, with China taking over the BRICS chairmanship and set to host the 19th summit in 2027. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated China and said the grouping was entering its third decade at a time when the world was looking for “concrete results.”
