 "Haryana Assembly election results 2024: Why BJP is using jalebis to mock Rahul Gandhi")
The Congress’ Haryana loss has left a sweet taste in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) mouth and given it ammunition to target Rahul Gandhi. For the saffron party, jalebis are fulfilling that purpose after the Grand Old Party failed to win the Hindi belt state. Exit polls had predicted the Congress wresting the state from the saffron party.
As the Haryana Assembly results became clearer later on, jalebis started trending on social media platforms. The BJP is using the delicacy to take jabs at the Gandhi scion.
But why? Let’s take a look.
Rahul Gandhi and jalebis
Rahul Gandhi recently had the “best jalebis” of his life. These were gifted to him by Haryana Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda from Lala Maturam Halwai, a popular shop in Gohana city, as per India Today.
Addressing an election rally in Haryana’s Gohana earlier, the Congress MP had said, “I tasted jalebi in the car and sent a message to my sister Priyanka that today I have eaten the best jalebi of my life. I am bringing a box of jalebi for you too.”
Holding a box of jalebis from Mathu Ram Halwai, Gandhi reportedly said that he had discussed with the state Congress leaders that jalebis of Gohana should be available across India and even the world.
“If this jalebi goes to the country and abroad, then perhaps their shop will turn into a factory and thousands of people will get employment,” he was quoted as saying by India Today.
In a tweet on October 4, Gandhi referred to his statements about the opportunity to sell Gohana’s jalebis “more widely”.
“India has 5,500 clusters of similar small producers who can market their products to the world if given the right support. They need policies to provide them with finance, technology, networks, branding and better organisation,” he wrote on X.
“With this support, the world can enjoy not only our mithai but apples from Sopore, jeans from Ballari, Kolhapuri chappals, pineapples from Meghalaya, makhana from Bihar, brassware from Moradabad and many more. The global success of Banarsi saris is a great example of what is possible,” he added.
As per a PTI report, Matu Ram started selling jalebis in 1958. His grandsons Raman Gupta and Neeraj Gupta run the business today.
“The jalebi is made of pure desi ghee, is crispy yet soft and each one weighs around 250 grams. A box of four pieces weighing a kg costs Rs 320. The shelf life of the sweet is more than a week,” Gupta told PTI.
Recalling the journey of the sweet, Gupta said the pure ghee jalebis gave the much-needed calories to farmers working hard in the fields, even in adverse weather conditions.
“Initially, it was a small shop and over the years when it became famous, even top politicians crossing through Gohana used to spare time to relish the sweet,” he told the news agency.
ALSO READ: Haryana Assembly election results: How Vinesh Phogat scored a win in her political dangal
BJP mocks Rahul Gandhi
The BJP grabbed the opportunity to troll Gandhi over his remarks.
“I also like Gohana’s jalebi. Now, Rahul Gandhi is talking about setting up a factory in the US. But one has to understand how jalebis are made and how they are sold. It would have been better if those who wrote the chit for him had framed it properly,” senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
He also said Gandhi “does not do his homework properly”.
Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also mentioned the famed Gohana jalebi, much before Gandhi. Addressing an election rally ahead of the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year, he claimed the INDIA bloc had a formula to have five Prime Ministers in five years if they come to power.
“Ask them is the prime minister’s post our Matu Ram ki jalebi?” he said, as per NDTV.
Jalebis make a comeback
On Tuesday morning (October 8), as early trends gave the Congress a lead, celebrations erupted at the Congress office in Delhi. Jalebis were distributed to mark the victory that was elusive as the day passed.
Speaking to ANI at the time, Congress worker Jagdish Sharma said, “This is Haryana’s famous jalebi. We have brought laddus as well as jalebi. People of Haryana like jalebi a lot and if it has the taste of victory then it will be even better. I believe everyone wants to eat jalebi, Rahul Gandhi’s jalebi, jalebi of love, jalebi of affection, jalebi of victory in Haryana. Today the whole of Haryana is standing with Rahul Gandhi.”
As the results went in favour of the BJP, its leaders could not stop themselves from taking jibes at the Congress.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “The thing is, Rahul Gandhi sometimes takes a team to the field for photo shoots, or he eats jalebi to show off. But the public sees everything – they know who is working and who is just putting on a show.”
Rohtak, Haryana: BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad says, "...Rahul Gandhi is talking about setting up a jalebi factory of Gohana in America...This reminds me that before sending Gohana's jalebi to America, it’s very important to understand how jalebi is made...Rahul Gandhi doesn't do… pic.twitter.com/4YN9BgEUCS
— IANS (@ians_india) October 2, 2024
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma even tried his hands at making the sweet dish to celebrate the BJP’s Haryana victory.
Several BJP leaders posted with jalebis to mock Gandhi.
Taking a potshot, the BJP Tamil Nadu said in a post on X, “Serving piping hot jalebis to you, Hope you are not diabetic @INC Kerela.”
Serving piping hot jalebis to you.
— BJP Tamilnadu (@BJP4TamilNadu) October 8, 2024
Hope you are not diabetic @INCKerala https://t.co/Sm6t3IXKjm pic.twitter.com/6sh0jQvZMF
According to NDTV’s BJP sources, the party has decided to mark its election victory with a sweet dish to send a political message to Gandhi and the Congress. No points for guessing which one.
With inputs from agencies
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