Modi’s Gurgaon event: CM wants ‘Haryanvi biryani’ going places

He said a day would come when Haryanvi biryani would be popular instead of Hyderabadi biryani

Two months after the Mewat biryani row, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said a day would come when Haryanvi biryani would be popular instead of Hyderabadi biryani and would be served in restaurants across the country.

PM Narendra Modi flanked by Haryana governor Kaptan Singh Solanki (left) and CM Manohar Lal Khattar in Gurgaon on Tuesday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Referring to the Centre’s ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ drive, Khattar said Telangana and Haryana have partnered in the drive and “a day might come when instead of Hyderabadi biryani, Haryanvi biryani is served” across the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat.

Speaking at the inaugural function of the state’s golden jubilee celebrations in Gurgaon on Tuesday, Khattar said Haryana would try its best to make ‘Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat’ successful.

He said under the drive it might even be possible that Hyderabadi Irani chai is served in Haryana’s food joints one day and Hyderabadi ragini (folk music genre of Haryana) comes up on the lines of Haryanvi ragini.

Khattar said it might even be possible that Haryanvi food made of milk and curd would be discussed in Hyderabad’s restaurants.

The CM has been evading questions on the Mewat biryani row ever since it was revealed that police and animal husbandry officials had collected seven biryani samples from Ferozepur Jhirka town in Mewat in the first week of September.

The Haryana government had faced criticism from several quarters as the samples were collected on the suspicion of containing beef.

The samples were sent to a lab in Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Hisar and the lab report mentioned the meat was of “cattle species”. The government has, however, initiated no action on the report and the matter is pending.

Khattar said the golden jubilee celebrations were not of a particular party or government. “This is not an event of any party or government. Political leaders across party lines are attending this event,” he said.

There were, however, no prominent leaders from the Congress or the Indian National Lok Dal present at the event.