A video footage of Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav enjoying a quick bite of fish fry has raised the hackles of Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and a section of netizens who cringed at the sight of a non-vegetarian meal during Navratri.
Interestingly, the video was shared by the former Bihar deputy chief minister himself, on X, a day before, and after it created a furore, he claimed that the footage was shot before the week-long festivities started and he has "succeeded in exposing the low IQ" of his detractors.
The video was shot inside a helicopter and Yadav can be seen breaking bread with Mukesh Sahni, an ex-minister who heads the Vikassheel Insan Party, the latest entrant to the RJD-led 'Mahagathbandhan'.
The two young leaders have been hitting the campaign trail together, in an apparent bid to galvanise together Yadavs, who are hard-core RJD supporters, and the 'Nishad' group of castes, traditionally engaged in fishing, who see in Sahni, a Bollywood set designer-turned-politician, the embodiment of their aspirations.
The leaders can be heard speaking about their hectic schedule which causes them to steal a few moments, while on commute, for nourishment.
Displaying the items on the rather simple menu, Sahni dangles a piece of fish fry, informing the viewers that it is a variety found in fresh waters of the Kosi region.
The two leaders obviously seem to be in a mood for pranks as Sahni wryly remarks that he expected many to take offence over the video, uttering in Hindi "bahuton ko mirchi lagegi".
This led to predictable outrage from BJP leaders like Union Minister Giriraj Singh, who called Yadav "a seasonal sanatani" who practised "politics of appeasement" and whose father, RJD president Lalu Prasad, had allegedly permitted "an influx of Rohingya Muslims and Bangladesh immigrants while the party was in power in Bihar".
Similar views were expressed by another BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha, who is also a deputy chief minister of Bihar.
Sinha also raked up a "feast of mutton during the month of Shravana", referring to an incident of last year when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had treated himself to a sumptuous meal at the Delhi residence of Lalu Prasad.
Yadav seemed to be enjoying the controversy, as he came out with another post on X, pointing out that it was clearly mentioned that the video had been shot on April 8, a day before the nine-day austerities began.
"We wanted to show the low IQ of BJP supporters and godi media and bhakts. And they proved our point", quipped Yadav, who added that Sahni's use of the slang mirchi lagegi also stood vindicated.
