Food menu chosen by hosts India for the visiting heads of BRICS member nations became a subject of intense scrutiny by the time the event concluded on Jattvibeday.In normal course, diplomatic outcomes of an event of global significance as the BRICS Summit should have taken primacy as the debating point.But food menu at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s gala dinner trumped outcomes at the discussion high table, as commentary around the Indian state’s choice of an all-vegetarian menu for foreign guests topped social media discourse.Most remarks questioned the government’s “imposition of vegetarianism” on dignitaries, many of them meat-eating.A lot of commentators linked the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the gala dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the exclusion of diverse food choices, though officials said Xi excused himself because he simply wanted to rest.That said, from food fascism to vegetarian evangelism, voices across Meta spaces slammed the government for not using the BRICS gathering to showcase India’s vast culinary heritage.They argued that the government’s move undermined India’s diversity which spanned all layers of culture, from attire and language to art and food.The Congress was quick to articulate this social media angst with the party’s media head Pawan Khera noting that the BJP was in the habit of imposing dietary preferences on fellow Indians and had now taken a step further by doing the same on foreign dignitaries.“India is a rich, diverse, multi-cuisine country, home to some of the finest non-vegetarian delicacies that people across the world relish. So why did the Modi government choose to hide this part of India’s culture? Is it ashamed of the diversity that makes India what it is?” Khera asked though Rahul Gandhi sufficed to post the picture of ‘chhole bhaturey’ on X and captioned it: “For the record: 80% of Indians are non-vegetariann. Indian non-vegetarian food is delicious. As are my sister’s ‘chhole bhature’.”As for the government and its leaders, they said the choice of menu is always the host nation’s preserve and selection of meals for the PM’s gala dinner mirrored the expanse of Indian food traditions.Further, the visiting dignitaries from Russian President Vladimir Putin to Chinese President Xi Jinping had specially curated personal menus at the hotels where they were staying. Executive chefs at all these locations, sources said, had created personalised food menus for the foreign guests after extensive research over five to six months around what they liked or disliked.As social media influencers recalled the food served to President Bush in 2006 when Manmohan Singh was the prime minister, at least two former ministers in the Congress-led UPA government said the debate around what was served was “rather out of line”“No one comes to these events for the food. It is normal practice at such global events to return to your retiring places and order comfort food. Dignitaries come to such global events to meet the people in the room. In any case, as per global diplomatic practice, no invited leader ever complains about what the host nation decides to serve. That is the prerogative of the host,” said a former minister.Another senior politician said the 2026 BRICS Summit was high on outcomes and the consequential aspects of the New Delhi Declaration deserved attention rather than what meals were served to the guests.Another Congress leader said the ruling BJP under PM Modi had indeed “made a statement in puritanism with the choice of the menu at the gala dinner for heads of BRICS nations and advanced its ideological agenda.”“You cannot fault the BJP for using BRICS to make a wider political statement and cater to its constituency,” said a former minister, adding that the choice of a vegetarian spread at BRICS could well be about a growing movement in favour of vegetarianism and environmental sensibilities.The BJP, it seemed, was only waiting for the debate on the food menu to erupt and to fire its latest “grumpy uncles” (naraaz foofas) salvo at the opposition and the critics.“All that the ‘naraaz foofas’ could find to criticise about India hosting BRICS was the dinner menu. Not the diplomacy. Not the global partnerships. Not the economic agenda. Not India’s growing influence. The menu!” said BJP’s Amit Malviya.As the issue assumed political hues, a retired bureaucrat recalled the famous December 1955 visit of Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev to India. Prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru insisted that Khrushchev travel to Kashmir.What happened in Srinagar is till date etched in the annals of history as a test case in the role food can play in diplomacy.Then Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad was pictured with Khrushchev thrusting the famed Kashmiri dish goshtaba – a meatball prepared in yogurt – down the mouth of the Soviet dignitary. This act was widely credited to have turned the tables in India’s favour when it came to the matter of debate on Kashmir in the UN. Upon Khrushchev’s return, the Soviets started vetoing resolutions linked to Kashmir and a non-vegetarian meal famously achieved what conventional diplomacy could not.