NEW DELHI: Bengal’s iconic snack jhalmuri made a political appearance once again, this time at the National Democratic Alliance’s 12th anniversary conclave at Bharat Mandapam on Wednesday.A video of West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari serving jhalmuri to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a light-hearted interaction with leaders of NDA allies was widely circulated on social media. Modi later shared the video on Instagram with the caption: “Sharing Jhalmuri with fellow NDA leaders at the NDA meeting today”. Photos of home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh and several other leaders relishing the snack were also shared by the party. In a social media post, Shah described jhalmuri as “tangy, masaledar and crunchy”, as others quipped that the initials stood for ‘TMC’.The humble snack, made of puffed rice, crunchy vegetables, spices and a dash of mustard oil, first grabbed political attention in March when Modi stopped at a roadside stall to enjoy jhalmuri during his campaign for the West Bengal assembly elections. Later, BJP’s state units served jhalmuri as a special dish to celebrate the party’s success in the polls.
