THE SAMOSA SUMMIT
Rahul Gandhi’s high tea for INDIA bloc leaders at his Sunehri Bagh Road residence in New Delhi on October 13 had a serious agenda: coordinate protests over alleged “vote chori” and demand Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. But the undisputed star of the refreshments was rather less constitutional: the Old Delhi samosa.
As The Indian Express reported, the Gandhis had ordered samosas and chaat from an Old Delhi shop favoured by Rahul. The samosas proved such a hit that several MPs wanted to know where they came from. The menu also featured golgappas, chilla, falafels, cakes and eclairs, washed down with tea, coffee and sodas.
The gathering brought together opposition leaders, MPs, student representatives and civil society members. Rahul declared that the protests would continue; the samosas, meanwhile, had already won their own vote of confidence.
In a coalition where keeping everyone on the same page can be harder than getting them around the same table, perhaps the first step towards unity is discovering a snack everyone can agree on. The political battle may be over votes. The catering, clearly, had its own constituency.
THE MEETING YOU DARE NOT MISS
Delhi’s bureaucrats have apparently been given a reminder that should need no circular: when Chief Minister Rekha Gupta calls a meeting, it is meant to count. The Delhi government has instructed senior officers to prioritise meetings convened by the chief minister and ensure that decisions taken at meetings with the Centre and the Lieutenant Governor reach her office. The nudge followed concerns that some senior officers had failed to attend meetings chaired by her.
In Delhi, where the elected government, the Lieutenant Governor and the Centre share an unusually complicated administrative space, a meeting is never quite just a meeting. Who attends, who stays away and who gets briefed afterwards can become questions of authority in their own right.
The message to the babus is unmistakable: the diary is not a suggestion box. And if the chief minister’s meeting is on it, the bureaucracy might want to check its priorities before checking its calendar.
WHAT'S IN THE BAG, MR MANN?
Bhagwant Mann went to Paris to showcase Punjab’s agricultural produce. He returned with an unexpected souvenir: a ₹50,000 Customs penalty and a political controversy that refused to fit into the baggage allowance.
On October 19, the Punjab chief minister and his wife were stopped at Delhi’s IGI Airport after reportedly using the green channel, meant for passengers with nothing to declare. Customs sources said undeclared goods were found; reports listed everyday items, watches, clothes, shoes and jewellery. Mann’s AAP cried harassment, alleging he was kept waiting for nearly three hours. The BJP demanded the fine receipt and an explanation of what had been brought back.
Then came the political plot twist: Mann linked the episode to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, claiming the latter’s brother headed airport Customs. The allegation remains contested.
A trip to sell Punjab’s produce has become a test of what was in the bags, who imposed the penalty and whether politics travelled in the same luggage.
