How a Hindi invite, vegetarian menu left Opposition MPs annoyed

The farewell dinner that Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan hosted in honour of outgoing Vice-President M Hamid Ansari on Wednesday evening left several Opposition Members of Parliament (MP) fuming. The invite asked the MPs to reach the venue at 7pm. When these MPs, including Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) Derek O’Brien and an AIADMK leader, reached there on the dot, they were casually informed that dinner would start at 7.30 pm as a Cabinet meeting was going on. The MPs, especially the one from the AIADMK, were upset that the invite was in Hindi, not in English, let alone any other regional language. The MPs were also disappointed that the menu was vegetarian. O’Brien only had raita (a curd-based preparation) and tweeted that he hoped to return home for some fish curry. However, once home, the TMC leader had chicken curry.