Biryani, Pulao Jibes Heat Up Nagaon Bypoll

• Nagaon votes on October 6 in the Lok Sabha bypoll.
• Sarma and Hussain exchanged remarks over biryani and pulao.
• AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal joined the verbal exchange.
• BJP, Congress, AIUDF and TMC candidates are in the contest.

GG News Bureau
Nagaon, 3rd Oct: The campaign for the October 6 Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll has entered its final phase, with the political contest increasingly dominated by a war of words over biryani, pulao, chicken and even dry fish.

The unusual exchange has involved Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Congress MP Rakibul Hussain and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, adding a sharp personal dimension to the final days of campaigning. Sarma and Hussain have traded remarks during rallies, while Ajmal has also joined the verbal sparring.

Sarma began the latest episode by referring to Hussain as Bakasura, the mythological figure associated with an enormous appetite. He also alleged that Hussain consumed meat and pulao several times a day and accused him of “digesting” funds meant for government schemes.

Hussain responded sarcastically, saying he was “born” to enjoy biryani. He also took a swipe at Sarma over his alleged preference for kata biscuit or rusk, questioning whether someone accustomed to such food could understand the distinction between pulao and biryani.

The Congress leader further joked about his childhood, saying that while babies normally drink their mother’s milk, he was supposedly born eating chicken biryani.

Sarma subsequently responded at an election rally in Nagaon, saying: “Those who are born to drink mother’s milk are human beings, and those born to eat biryani are animals.” The remark triggered further discussion around the campaign rhetoric.

Ajmal then entered the exchange, claiming that Hussain was “born eating dry fish, not biryani” and questioning Hussain’s assertion that he was born into wealth.

The remarks have shifted attention in the final stretch of the campaign from the candidates and their manifestos to a series of food-related political jibes.

The Nagaon seat fell vacant after former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from Parliament and joined the BJP. He subsequently contested the Assam Assembly election from Dispur on a BJP ticket and won.

The BJP has fielded former IAS officer and former Nagaon Deputy Commissioner Devasish Sharma, while Congress has nominated former Batadrava MLA Sibamoni Bora. AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal is also contesting, while Trinamool Congress has fielded Abdul Salam.

The bypoll will be held on October 6, with counting scheduled for October 9. The final campaign period is therefore set to conclude with the major parties making their last appeals to voters.

For now, however, the Nagaon campaign’s most visible verbal battle remains centred on biryani, pulao, chicken and biscuits.