Political Campaigns Heat Up with Culinary Jibes in Nagaon
Culinary Jibes Take Center Stage in Nagaon Campaign
Congress’ Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain (Left) and Assam CM Sarma (Photo: AT)
Guwahati, Oct 1: As the October 6 Lok Sabha bypoll approaches, the political atmosphere in Nagaon has taken an unexpected turn, moving beyond traditional topics like development and electoral strategies.
Food items such as biryani, pulao, and even biscuits have become focal points in the increasingly personal exchanges between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress MP Rakibul Hussain.
What began as a casual mention of food during Sarma's campaign speeches has evolved into a prominent theme of the election discourse.
During his third day of campaigning in Nagaon, Sarma escalated his food-related jibes at a rally in Juria, addressing previous remarks aimed at Hussain.
“Does an infant consume biryani at birth, or does it drink its mother’s milk? Those who drink their mother’s milk are humans, while those who eat biryani right after birth are beasts,” Sarma remarked.
He also revisited his earlier comparison of Hussain to Bakasur, a mythological figure known for his insatiable appetite, claiming that Hussain indulged in pulao and meat multiple times in the morning.
“Rakibul Hussain is a Bakasur,” Sarma asserted, alleging that the Congress leader had pulao and meat “three times before 9 am.”
The food references first emerged during Sarma's earlier campaign stops in Samaguri on September 28, where he discussed his past interactions with Hussain and the Congress leader's supposed eating habits.
It was clear that the remarks were less about Hussain's diet and more about what Sarma accused him of consuming from public funds.
In response, Hussain turned the food jibe back on Sarma, stating that God had blessed him with the means to enjoy biryani, while alluding to Sarma's supposed fondness for biscuits before joining Congress.
“What can I do if he was born eating biscuits? He used to have biscuits morning and night. He only encountered pulao and chicken after joining Congress,” Hussain retorted.
This exchange has taken on a life of its own, with the political rivalry increasingly framed through culinary references—biryani versus biscuits, pulao versus chicken, and appetite versus alleged political greed.
The timing is crucial, as the Nagaon seat became vacant following former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi's resignation to join the BJP. The BJP has nominated former Nagaon deputy commissioner Devasish Sharma, while Congress has put forward Sibamoni Bora.
As the October 6 election date nears, the campaign has adopted an unexpected twist.
Biryani has become part of the campaign lexicon, pulao serves as a punchline, and biscuits have entered the political banter.
In a contest primarily focused on governance, development, and political influence, the food-themed exchanges are becoming increasingly hard to overlook as the election fervor intensifies, along with the rhetoric surrounding biryani and pulao.