After samosas, jungli murga spices up Himachal politics

Strange as it may sound, the political slugfest between the Congress and the BJP in Himachal Pradesh has been reduced to a gastronomical clash with “jungli murga” (wild chicken), samosas and “phulkas” (chapattis) becoming the bone of contention.

The latest controversy revolves around serving “jungli murga” at Kupvi in the Chopal area of Shimla where Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu spent a night with villagers on Friday. A purported video of the CM being served “jungli murga” for dinner has gone viral on social media. Even as one can hear Sukhu saying that he doesn’t eat it, he asked the villagers to serve it to his ministerial colleague, Dhani Ram Shandil, seated next to him, and others having a meal while sitting on the floor.

The incident drew sharp criticism from various quarters, including the opposition BJP. Several NGOs have also demanded the registration of an FIR for killing a “jungli murga”, a “protected bird”.

In a post on X, Sukhu said due to health reasons, he did not eat non-veg and fried food. “The locals offered me wild chicken but I declined. Eating non-veg food is part and parcel of the hill cuisine. Now Jai Ram is commenting on it. It seems he has no other issue to speak on. He chose this incident to defame villagers and their simple lifestyle.”

In response, Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, in a post on X, said those who had objection to serving of “phulkas” at an event during the BJP rule were relishing “jungli murga”. The Congress had accused the previous BJP regime of spending crores on “phulkas” and other food items at a ‘Jan Manch’ event held to listen public grievances. The “jungli murga” controversy has come close on the heels of an incident when samosas made national headlines after the state CID ordered an inquiry to trace the missing snack, ordered from a five-star hotel during a function attended by the CM.