Mishti doi for Rahul at dinner, breakfast

SWEET TOOTH
Jayanta Gupta TNN
Kolkata: A light dinner — nothing too rich or spicy — and yes, mishti doi to polish it off. Those were Rahul Gandhi’s specifications for dinner on Friday night after a whirlwind tour of the state that left the ruling Left Front with a bitter aftertaste. Rahul spent the night not at any star hotel but the Ordnance Factory Board’s inspection bungalow in Dum Dum. The 39-year-old AICC general secretary had informed the hosts that he wouldn’t have “rich or heavy” food. Immediately after he reached the bungalow around 7 pm, fruit juice, tea, coffee and light snacks were served. The staff is not sure whether Rahul had any of these, though. “Special Protection Group (SPG) officers directed us to lay out the food, including dinner, on a table and leave. Nobody was allowed to be present when Rahul had his meal. The menu included rice, phulkas (rotis), dal, sabzi, chicken curry, rasgullas and of course mishti doi. There was no way of knowing what he actually had. But we were told not to make the food too rich or spicy,” a member of the bungalow staff said. Early on Saturday morning, Rahul left for a star hotel on EM Bypass to meet Pradesh Congress leaders. Also present were Trinamool Congress leaders Mukul Roy and Javed Khan. Roy handed over an uttoriyo and a kurta-churidaar set to Rahul on behalf of Mamata Banerjee. “He is very fond of mishti doi and had some in the morning,” Congress leader Maya Ghosh said. Rahul mentioned during his press conference later that mishti doi was his favourite and he always has some when in Kolkata. The SPG was not very generous though, and many a Congress leader, carrying a pot of the sweet, was turned away. Every food item that Rahul had during his tour was tested (as well as tasted) for poisoning by experts, who are part of SPG. After the press conference in Kolkata on Saturday, Rahul was keen for some tea with journalists. But the SPG would have nothing of it. Finally, Rahul strode up to the journalists for an informal interaction. Memories of Rajiv came alive in Purulia and Jalpaiguri on Friday as Rahul went up to the crowds, hugged children and clasped extended hands. Barely a year before his assassination in May, 1991, Rajiv Gandhi had addressed a huge gathering at the Park Circus Maidan in Kolkata. Nearly 18 years later, son Rahul was touring the state, breaking barriers — both physical and mental — while SPG personnel had their hearts in their mouths. Unlike other people of his stature, the AICC general secretary did not try to mask his surprise on receiving a garland of Sal flowers from local Trinamool leader Bibhabati Tudu in Bankura. Rahul made it clear that he had never seen such flowers before. He studied the flowers before bringing the garland to his nose to catch a whiff of the fragrance. The mercury had breached the 40-degree mark when Rahul’s chopper touched down at Purulia. Save for a drink of water, Rahul did not — or was not allowed to — have anything. There was chaos when he started leaving the dais. A hoarding came loose and fell on Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya, resulting in a minor head injury. An unfazed Rahul walked towards the crowd, smiling and waving. Malda, the Congress stronghold that it is, was a different experience altogether. Rahul was seen talking to Malda North candidate Mausam Noor, who was clearly thrilled. Trinamool leader Babla Sarkar gifted him an uttoriyo. Local MLA Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury had the privilege of handing over Malda’s special amshotto (mango-preserve). It was a tired Rahul who landed in Kolkata around 6.35 pm. He had made it clear to WBPCC that he did not wish to disturb traffic in Kolkata. His carcade made its way from the airport to the OFB’s bungalow. (With inputs from Debajyoti Chakraborty in Purulia & Bankura, Subhro Maitra in Malda and Pinak Priya Bhattacharya in Jalpaiguri)