Video: PM's jhalmuri moment at NDA meet as he completes 12 years in office
Jhalmuri, the ever-popular Bengali snack, found itself in the political limelight once again on Wednesday as the country's ruling Democratic Alliance (NDA) celebrated its 12
Jhalmuri, the ever-popular Bengali snack, found itself in the political limelight once again on Wednesday as the country's ruling Democratic Alliance (NDA) celebrated its 12 years in power since 2014. This time, too, the humble street food item became the talking point because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had earlier sent its popularity soaring by consuming it at a campaign pitstop during the West Bengal Assembly polls. Read Full Story He shared a video clip on Instagram showing West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari serving him jhalmuri at a makeshift stall. The moment was witnessed at Delhi's Bharat Mandapam, where NDA leaders had gathered to mark PM Modi's record-breaking tenure of 4,399 consecutive days in office.
He achieved the feat by surpassing the record of India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who served continuously for 4,398 days. PM MODI RELIVES JHALMURI MOMENT The images of PM Modi passing on servings of jhalmuri to NDA allies at Bharat Mandapam revived memories of the West Bengal Assembly election campaign, when a jhalmuri break had prompted Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee, then the state's chief minister, to dismiss it as "drama." With the TMC having suffered a landslide defeat at the hands of the BJP in the polls, the scene from the NDA meeting appeared to be a cheeky reminder of that political turnaround.
"Sharing Jhalmuri with fellow NDA leaders at the NDA meeting today," PM Modi captioned the video. BJP chief Nitin Nabin, Union ministers HD Kumaraswamy and Chirag Paswan, BJP ally and Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha, Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad and Bodoland People's Front chief Hagrama Mohilary stood around him as he munched on the snack, which is essentially a mixture of puffed rice, crunchy vegetables, spices, and a drizzle of mustard oil. PM Modi responded with a thank you as Adhikari handed him a serving of the snack. The prime minister then passed on servings of jhalmuri to Nabin and Nishad. JHALMURI'S PATH TO SPOTLIGHT The everyday Bengali snack first became an unexpected subject of attention in the country's political landscape after PM Modi made an unscheduled stop at a modest jhalmuri shop in West Bengal's Jhargram on April 19 while campaigning for the highly-anticipated Assembly polls in the state.
The moment triggered a wave of interest in the snack across India. PM Modi had also responded to the TMC's criticism with a pun, quipping that while he relished the snack, the rival party was feeling the "jhal" (heat). Ends (With inputs from PTI)
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