80% Indians are non-vegetarian: Rahul Gandhi's swipe amid BRICS menu row
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the Narendra Modi-led central government over the vegetarian menu for the BRICS Summit gala dinner in Delhi, asserting that “80 per cent of Indians are non-vegetarian”.
“For the record: 80% of Indians are non-vegetarian. Indian non-vegetarian food is delicious. As are my sister's chole bhature,” Rahul Gandhi wrote on X on Sunday, sharing a picture of the popular North Indian delicacy.
The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha did not cite a source for the 80 per cent figure. Notably, the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6), conducted in 2023-24, does not report a comparable national figure for non-vegetarian food consumption. However, the previous NFHS-5 (2019-21) found that 83.4 per cent of men and 70.6 per cent of women aged 15-49 consumed fish, chicken or meat at least occasionally.
Rahul Gandhi's post came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted BRICS leaders to a distinctly Indian vegetarian dinner at Bharat Mandapam during the two-day summit.
The gala dinner menu featured an array of vegetarian dishes, including khandvi, paneer lababdar, gucchi marmik, millet pulao, mushroom galouti and jalebi. The menu placed a strong emphasis on millets, in line with India's push for Shree Anna and its broader sustainability pitch. The BRICS gala dinner was part of India's effort to showcase its culinary and cultural traditions to visiting leaders. The menu was designed around Indian flavours and included millet-based preparations, reflecting the government's emphasis on sustainable and indigenous foods.
Rahul Gandhi's remarks appeared to draw attention to the absence of non-vegetarian dishes from the official dinner menu, though the vegetarian spread also prompted discussion online, with some questioning the choice while others praised it as a showcase of Indian cuisine.
The Congress MP's post came as the two-day 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit, which is being hosted by India, ended on Sunday. The event brought together leaders from the expanded 11-member grouping.
BRICS, which began with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with Indonesia joining in 2025. Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam became BRICS partner countries last year.- EndsPublished By: Prateek ChakrabortyPublished On: Sep 13, 2026 14:38 IST
