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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'Blood in river' rant: Owaisi reminds Bilawal of Benazir Bhutto's killing by homegrown terrorists
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Apr 28 (PTI): AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday criticised Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for his "blood would flow in rivers" remark, reminding him of the killing of his mother, Benazir Bhutto, by home-grown terrorists.
He also referred to former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi as a "joker" for his statement on the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists.
The Hyderabad MP said Pakistan should be placed on the 'grey list' of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and advocated for cyber attacks against the neighbouring nation.
When asked about Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's statement against India following its withdrawal from the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), Owaisi remarked that Bhutto-Zardari should question who was responsible for his mother's death, emphasising that "she was killed by such homegrown terrorists."
Former Pakistan PM Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
After India suspended the IWT, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari declared, "The Indus is ours and will remain ours—either our water will flow through it, or their blood."
Speaking to reporters, Owaisi said his party- the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen- supports the Centre's decision to suspend the IWT.
However, he raised concerns about where the water from the Indus River would be stored after the treaty's suspension, stating, "It has to be stored somewhere."
Under the World Bank-brokered treaty, India was granted exclusive rights to the water of the eastern rivers -- the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi -- amounting to an average annual flow of about 33 million acre-feet (MAF). The water of the western rivers -- the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab -- with an average annual flow of around 135 MAF, was largely allocated to Pakistan.
With the treaty now put in abeyance, the government is looking at ways to utilise the water of the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.
Owaisi asserted that Pakistan should be placed on the FATF grey list to highlight its financing of terrorism through illegal means.
He also urged the government to launch cyber attacks against Pakistan, citing Article 51 of the UN Charter, which provides the right to act in self-defence.
Additionally, he demanded that the Narendra Modi government rethink its deterrent policy since incidents like the Pahalgam attack were taking place even after airstrikes.
Reiterating his support for the Centre's decisions, Owaisi remarked, "Pakistan should understand that India's defence budget is bigger than their entire budget. They are 20 years behind India. The politicians there just keep blabbering. That country is facing internal issues. They can't manufacture medicines for malaria but keep talking about fighting India."
Speaking on the Waqf Amendment Act, Owaisi opposed its provisions, arguing that they violated the Constitution.
Regarding the inclusion of non-Muslims on Waqf boards, he questioned, "Wouldn't it be painful if we asked for non-Hindus to be included in the Pandharpur temple trust?"
#WATCH | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra | On Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's "Blood will flow" remark after Pahalgam attack, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi says,"...Bachpane ki baatein nahi karna..His mother was killed by their homegrown terrorists...Does he even know what he is… pic.twitter.com/yVn7jegwKn
— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2025
