BJP chief lunches at Dalit worker’s house in Rajasthan

Jaipur, July 23 (IANS) BJP President Amit Shah visited a Dalit party worker's house here on Sunday afternoon and was served home-cooked food in a traditional style.

During his visit to Ramesh Pachariya's house in Sushil Pura colony, Shah was accompanied by Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, state BJP President Ashok Parnami, and local Bharatiya Janata Party legislator and Cabinet Minister Arun Chaturvedi, among others.

Hundreds of curious onlookers and party workers gathered to watch the BJP leaders as they were accorded a traditional welcome at the house.

"He spent 25-30 minutes at the house and was served rice, lentils, chapatis, cooked ladies' fingers, Rajasthan's famous 'gatte ki sabzi', curd, and a sweet dish," a BJP functionary told IANS.

The BJP chief sat on a mat and was served food in a disposable plate and bowls made of dried leaves.

Ramesh, a booth level worker of the BJP, said his mother Bridhi cooked the food for the visiting leader.

Ramesh's family was visibly excited, with one of them saying: "We cooked homely food for him. We are happy he visited our house."

Shah's three-day visit to Jaipur ends on Sunday. His visit is aimed at strengthening the party at the grass-roots level in the state where the BJP is in power. The elections to the assembly in the desert state will likely be held in December 2018.

An onlooker said: "We had heard a lot about Shah ji... but it is the first time we have got an opportunity to see him."

After lunch, Shah waved to the crowd which had gathered around the house for a glimpse of the BJP leaders.