Delhi Confidential: Opposition unity over tea, BJP leader hosts Punjab students in Gujarat

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and others during a high tea organised for the INDIA bloc leaders at Rahul Gandhi's residence, to discuss the strategy for joint protests against vote theft and to press for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, in New Delhi. (AICC via PTI Photo)

Welcome to Delhi Confidential, your inside track to the power corridors of the capital. Today: From a high tea at Rahul Gandhi’s residence that gave INDIA bloc leaders a pleasant pause from their street protests, with Old Delhi samosas emerging as the clear crowd favourite, to a delegation of Punjab students getting a taste of Gujarat’s Navratri festivities, complete with Garba and a conversation on drug abuse.

1. 01

   On A High/ High Praise

   The high tea at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s Sunehri Bagh residence on Tuesday was a pleasant break from the street protests being staged by INDIA bloc leaders against CEC Gyanesh Kumar since last week. The refreshments served at the high tea were a big hit with the leaders who attended it. Catered by Moets restaurant, which also runs a canteen at the new AICC headquarters at Indira Bhawan, the menu included a good mix of north Indian snacks and desserts. The Gandhis had ordered samosas and chaat from an Old Delhi shop, which is a favourite of Rahul Gandhi. The samosas remained the pick of the snacks, with many MPs inquiring about the shop they came from. The hosts also served chilla, golgappas, falafels, cakes and eclairs. The menu was all vegetarian. The beverages included different kinds of sodas, kulhad tea and coffee. Old Bollywood melodies, including Lata Mangeshkar’s Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh, played in the background, and the guests were heard praising the hosts for the vibe set for the gathering.

2. 02

   Cultural Treat

   A delegation of 50 students from academic institutions in Punjab's Chandigarh, Mohali and Amritsar were in for a cultural treat while visiting Gujarat Central University during the ongoing Navratri festivities. The students were hosted for lunch, which included various local delicacies, by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president Hemang Joshi. The leader also discussed Punjab’s drug abuse problem with the students and sought their opinion on how to tackle it. Later, Joshi made arrangements for festive clothing for the students and took them for a Garba night, where they tried their hands at the state's traditional folk dance.