India
‘Sukhu ji ka samosa kisne khaya?’: Himachal politics heats up as Shimla CID investigates missing snack | India News – Times of India
The workers were seen “feeding” a poster of CM Sukhu samosas while chanting slogans like “Sukhu ji ka samosa kisne khaya?” (Who ate CM Sukhu’s samosa?).
The controversy arose when the refreshments originally prepared for the chief minister were accidentally served to his security detail during a visit to the CID headquarters on October 21. The issue came to the fore when reports claimed that the CID had launched an investigation into the mix-up, sparking political debate. discourse across the state. CM Sukhu, however, dismissed the uproar, attributing the investigation to a “misconduct incident” and accusing the media of amplifying the narrative.
Explained: Himachal CM Sukhu’s samosa ruckus and CBI probe
“There is no such thing,” Sukhu told ANI, adding that the CID investigation was not related to the samosas and was designed solely to address a disciplinary issue. He further said that the media had misrepresented the incident.
Taking advantage of the furore, BJP leaders, including Opposition Leader Jairam Thakur, have criticized the Sukhu government. Thakur expressed disbelief at the apparent seriousness the government was attaching to the misplacement of snacks, calling it an example of ‘bad governance’.
“Decisions in Himachal are becoming a joke nationwide. A simple snack mix becomes an investigation. This reflects the priorities of the government,” Thakur said. In a symbolic gesture, BJP workers held a samosa party at the Circuit House in Mandi, during which Thakur and others distributed samosas among the party members and chanted slogans against Sukhu’s leadership.
Watch: BJP’s ‘samosa’ party amid Himachal CM Sukhu’s snack mix-up row
CID Deputy General Sanjeev Ranjan Ojha weighed in and denied any political motive behind the investigation. “This is strictly an internal CID issue, which has nothing to do with politics. We just want to understand what happened and how information was leaked,” Ojha noted, adding that the chief minister does not eat samosas, further downplaying the situation.
However, the BJP has used the episode to question the government’s focus, with party spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari linking it to the state’s financial woes. Bhandari criticized the Sukhu government, claiming that financial mismanagement was clearly exposed when a small snack mix attracted this attention. He also compared it to what he described as Congress’s ‘failed economic model’, suggesting Himachal’s financial instability is a reflection of the ‘Revdi culture’ of handouts earlier criticized by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
‘One samosa from three plates costs Rs 350’
While the dispute over the samosa has created a political storm for the Sukhu government, chef Rajiv Bharadwaj, who works at Shimla’s Radisson Hotel, said he was excited by the samosa’s sudden fame.
I am a chef and have been working as a chef for 18 years and in the hotel industry. This time our samosa has become so popular that it is in the limelight so much,” he told news agency ANI.
Explaining the controversy, Chief Bhardwaj said, “We had served 21 samosas to the CID department of Himachal Pradesh Police, which were to be served to the Chief Minister. The package was given on their orders, in which there were only three packages .One samosa from our three plates is available for Rs 350 plus tax.”
