New Delhi, March 2 (IANS) In a rare move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had lunch at the parliament canteen on Monday, surprising the staff and many people present there. Modi had some fruit salad and a vegetarian thali at a total cost of Rs.29.
The prime minister went to the canteen at room no.70 of Parliament House around 1 p.m. when the canteen was bustling with activity.
The canteen managers as well as MPs were surprised when he came and sat at a table occupied by two other parliamentarians.
"We were surprised, no one expected the prime minister to come for lunch in the canteen. But that is how he is, he is very natural and humble," Shankarbhai N. Vegad, one of the MPs who shared the table with the prime minister, told IANS.
Chhedi Paswan, a Lok Sabha member from Bihar who was also at the table, said it was unexpected.
"We MPs eat at the canteen every day, but who would think the prime minister himself will come there. We feel lucky that he sat on our table," he said.
"He did it several times in Gujarat too. He would go to the canteen where the legislators ate," Paswan told IANS.
Paswan and Vegad accompanied the prime minister through the lunch, and union minister Piyush Goyal joined them later.
The prime minister first asked for a glass of water.
Canteen in-charge B.L. Purohit rushed forward and asked the prime minister what he would like to eat.
"The prime minister said 'jo hai wahi khilaiye... kuchh bhi. Alag se intezam karne ki zaroorat nahi hai' (give me what has been cooked, no need to do anything special)," a canteen official said.
The prime minister, a vegetarian, then had some fruit salad, followed by a vegetarian thali (platter) consisting of sarson ka saag, aloo subji, rajma, rice, roti and curd.
The bill was of Rs.29. Modi gave a Rs.100 note and was returned Rs.71, according to canteen officials.
Modi later wrote in Hindi in the visitor's book: "Annadata sukhi bhava." (May the giver of food be happy).
"We were all surprised. I have never seen any prime minister come for lunch here," said a canteen staff member who said he was working there for the last 13 years.
Paswan said: "After the prime minister left, a canteen staff told us this is the first time in history that a prime minister has eaten in the MPs canteen. They were very happy."
"This sends out a very strong message. The prime minister had the humble food every common Indian has. Moreover, there have been complaints about the canteen food by some MPs. Now that they know the prime minister can come any time, the food will be better," Paswan added.
Asked what the prime minister talked about with the MPs, Vegad said: "He talked as any one would chat over lunch. He talked about the weather, and that he was worried the unexpected rain has caused damage to crops."
The parliament canteen run by Indian Railways is the most subsidised canteen in the country. It serves parliamentarians, parliament staff and journalists in different sitting areas.
Pak Crisis: Pakistan's FDI decreased by 52 percent in four months, increasing the problem of the country facing a cash crunch
Cash-strapped Pakistan's foreign direct investment (FDI) has registered a decline of 52 percent during the first four months of the current financial year (FY23), amid poor economic conditions and
An accurate system should be developed to issue early earthquake warnings through smartphone app
Earthquake tremors were felt twice in a large geographical area of North India including Delhi during the last week. During this, the earth of Uttarakhand trembled more than three times, but the
These latest smartphones with up to 6GB of RAM come in the budget of Rs 16000, know what are the features
If you are thinking of getting a new and good performance smartphone, then here we are giving you information about smartphones with 6 GB RAM. 128 GB internal memory has been given in these
COVID-19: Decline in pre-primary level enrollment in 2020-21 due to pandemic, education ministry reports
Schools are also one of the areas most affected by the Corona epidemic. Now on Wednesday, the Ministry of Education has released a report saying that due to the epidemic there has been a decline in
Man survives bullet injury in skull
New Delhi, March 25 (IANS) A 50-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh, who received a bullet injury in his skull during celebratory firing at a religious event, has got a new lease of life following a
Why has the Taliban government become a noose for Pakistan?
The Taliban's interim government has been formed in Afghanistan, but still, the biggest challenge for it is to gain international recognition.
AAP government attacks union budget
New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) The AAP government in Delhi Saturday criticised the union budget for keeping stagnant the non-plan grant for the capital - an amount not hiked for 14 long years.The Delhi
Anushka Sharma Birthday: Anushka Sharma wanted to become a journalist, but this turtle made her the top actress in Bollywood.
Anushka Sharma Birthday: Today is the birthday of the Indian film industry's finest actress Anushka Sharma. Anushka, who rules millions of hearts, started her acting career in
Weather Update Today: IMD's latest update on monsoon, yellow alert in 16 states including MP-Chhattisgarh
The monsoon is slowly starting to weaken. Monsoon is likely to depart in the next few days. It is still raining in many states of the country. The Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert
Covid-19: Know when you have to take a booster dose of the corona, where and how to register
Covid-19 Vaccination: The cases of Covid are increasing again and to prevent it from spreading, the government has started giving booster doses to people above the age of 12 years through both private
