A comment made by Rahul Gandhi about ‘Jalebis’ during his election campaign in Haryana has provided fresh ammunition for the BJP to target him, especially as the party has secured its third consecutive victory in the state.
On Tuesday evening, the BJP sent 1 kg of Jalebis addressed to Rahul Gandhi at the Indian National Congress headquarters in the national capital.
“On behalf of all the workers of Bhartiya Janta Party Haryana, Jalebi has been sent to Rahul Gandhi’s home,” read a tweet from the official X account of BJP Haryana.
What the ‘jalebi’ controversy is all about
In the lead-up to the Haryana polls, Gandhi addressed an election rally in Gohana on October 3, where he showcased a box from the renowned jalebi-maker ‘Matu Ram halwai.’
He emphasised that these jalebis should be sold nationwide and even suggested that they be exported to create more employment opportunities.
During his speech, he criticized the Centre and the BJP for their business policies.
What did Rahul Gandhi say?
“I tasted jalebi in the car and sent a message to my sister Priyanka that today I have eaten the best jalebi of my life. I am bringing a box of jalebi for you too,” he said.
“This involves the blood and sweat of a person from Haryana; he has been doing this work for years,” Gandhi added.
The Congress leader further stated, “What should happen is that this jalebi should be available all over India, and after that in the rest of the countries— in America, in Japan— this jalebi should be served in different forms.”
“Suppose 100 people work in their shop today, but if this jalebi goes all over the world, then 10,000 people will work in their factory,” he explained.
He claimed that jalebi sellers like Matu Ram have been negatively affected by the policies of the Modi government, including GST and demonetization.
“Modi ji has thrown these people into a ‘Chakravyuh’—first demonetization, then GST, and then all the money in the banks was given away to 2-3 billionaires,” he asserted.
“If he (Matu) asks for a loan from the bank, the bank will not give him that loan. They can only give money to Adani and Ambani,” said Gandhi.
The BJP’s reaction
A video circulating on social media showed an Assam BJP worker personally delivering jalebi to the Congress office in Lakhimpur, Assam.
In celebration of the party’s victory in the Haryana polls, State BJP president and Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil made jalebis at the party headquarters, Kamalam.
“Rahul Gandhi is talking about setting up a jalebi factory from Gohana in America… This reminds me that before sending Gohana’s jalebi to America, it’s very important to understand how jalebi is made… Rahul Gandhi doesn’t do his homework,” Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad remarked in Rohtak after Gandhi’s comments.
Buoyed by the election results, UP Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta stated that the people of Haryana have “put a lock on the Congress factory of lies, rumors, and empty promises!” He added that voters have once again proven that “Modi hai toh Mumkin Hai!”
“Today, Rahul Gandhi and Congress leaders must be finding even jalebi bitter because the public has sweetened the mouth of BJP by giving the mandate of victory!,” he posted in Hindi on X,
BJP leader and Prayagraj (West) MLA Sidharth Nath Singh also chimed in, saying, “After seeing the Haryana election results, I will send Prayagraj’s jalebi to Rahul Gandhi.”
Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma shared on social media pictures of himself making jalebi at the BJP office, alongside Rajasthan state president Madan Rathore.
“After the historic victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Haryana, today in the state BJP office, along with state president Mr. Madan Rathore ji, I made jalebis and fed jalebis to all the workers, and gave my heartfelt congratulations for this huge victory,” he wrote on X.
As per a PTI report, Matu Ram started selling jalebis in 1958. His grandsons Raman Gupta and Neeraj Gupta run the business today.
“Initially, it was a small shop and over the years when it became famous, even top politicians crossing through Gohana used to spare time to relish the sweet,” he told the news agency.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shows a pack of ‘jalebis’ while delivering a speech in Haryana on October 3. 
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