A must-have for Sonia upon her return from abroad is 'arhar ki daal and chawal'
New Delhi (PTI): Whenever former Congress president Sonia Gandhi goes abroad there is one dish she craves for immediately upon her return and that is 'arhar ki daal' and 'chawal'.
Sonia Gandhi shared her food preferences in a video released on New Year's eve on Rahul Gandhi's YouTube channel, and in it, both are seen making orange marmalade following a recipe of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
In the video titled 'Mum, Memories and Marmalade', the mother-son duo of Sonia and Rahul are seen having a light-hearted banter about food.
While preparing the marmalade, Rahul Gandhi says, "If the BJP people want to get the jam, they can get it too. What do you say, mummy?"
"They will throw it at us," Sonia Gandhi quips, evoking laughter from Rahul, who adds, "That's good, then we can pick it up again."
As he goes about preparing the marmalade from scratch by plucking oranges to peeling and slicing them, Rahul says, "This is my sister's recipe, she found it and improved it. I am only implementing it."
In the over five-minute video, Sonia Gandhi also shares what annoys her about Rahul. "He is stubborn, I am as well. Both of us are stubborn. So you can understand," she says.
On what she likes about him, Sonia Gandhi says, "He is very affectionate, very caring. Especially when I am not well, both Rahul and Priyanka take care of me."
On who is the best cook in the house, Rahul says it was Sonia Gandhi's mother.
"Then she learnt a whole bunch of things from dadi's Kashmiri relatives," he adds.
Talking about food preferences, Sonia Gandhi says, "When an Indian person goes abroad, I am not talking of today because there are Indian restaurants everywhere...You cannot get adjusted to the foods in the UK and elsewhere."
"Similarly, when I came here it took me time to get adjusted to the Indian flavours especially the chilies," she says
Sonia Gandhi says she did not like 'hara dhaniya', to which Rahul quips but now she likes it a lot.
She also did not like pickles but now she likes pickles a lot, Rahul says.
"It took me a little time but now I really love it. Whenever I go abroad, the first thing that I have to have when I come back is 'arhar ki daal aur chawal'," Sonia Gandhi says.
In the video, Rahul Gandhi also talks about how Mahatma Gandhi had a particular vision about food and had a set of nutritional ideas.
"I also have nutritional ideas slightly different from Gandhi ji's," he says.
The video ends with the marmalade ready in jars and tagged "with love from Sonia and Rahul" ready for being sent to friends and family.
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PIL in SC seeks abolition of TDS system, cites constitutional violations
New Delhi (PTI): A PIL filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday sought to scrap the TDS system calling it "arbitrary and irrational" and violative of various fundamental rights, including equality.
The PIL challenged the tax deducted at source or TDS framework under the Income Tax Act, which mandates the deduction of tax at the time of payment by the payer and its deposit with the income tax department. The deducted amount is adjusted against the payee's tax liability.
The plea filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay through advocate Ashwani Dubey, made the Centre, ministry of law and justice, law commission, and NITI Aayog as parties.
It sought a direction to "declare the TDS system manifestly arbitrary, irrational and against Articles 14 (right to equality), 19 (right to practice profession) and 21 (right to life and personal liberty) of the Constitution, hence void and inoperative".
The plea further sought directions to the NITI Ayog to consider contentions raised in the plea and suggest necessary changes in TDS system.
It said the law commission should examine the legality of the TDS system and prepare a report within three months.
The TDS system imposes significant administrative and financial burdens on taxpayers tasked with compliance which include managing complex rules, issuing TDS certificates, filing returns, and defending against penalties for inadvertent errors, argued the plea.
Assessees often incur substantial expenses, ranging from salaries of compliance staff to professional fees for tax consultants, without receiving compensation, it said.
The plea said the system violated Article 14 (equality before the law) by disproportionately burdening economically weaker sections and small earners who lack the capacity to navigate its technical requirements.
Referring to Article 23, it said the imposition of tax collection duties on private citizens amounted to forced labour.
The TDS system was stated to adversely affect individuals below the taxable income threshold, as tax was deducted at source irrespective of their liability.
"The regulatory and procedural framework surrounding TDS is excessively technical, often requiring specialised legal and financial expertise, which most assessees lack. The result is an unjust shifting of sovereign responsibilities from the government to private citizens without adequate compensation, resources, or legal safeguards," it said.
