NEW DELHI: The opposition and social media went into an overdrive on Thursday over finance minister Nirmala Sitharamans comment that she and her family do not consume onions, calling her remarks flippant and a mockery of the common mans misery.
As he stepped into Parliament on the first day after his release from prison, former finance minister P Chidambaram took a swipe at Sitharamans comment. “Does she eat avocado?” he asked as reporters sought his reaction.
On a constituency trip in Wayanad in Kerala, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi took exception to Sitharaman talking about her eating habits when high onion prices had become a national controversy.
“Nobody is asking you whether you eat onions. You are the finance minister and we are asking why the economy is struggling. Even if you ask the poorest person, you will get a sensible response,” he said.
In a bid to brush aside snide remarks about onions from the opposition benches during her statement in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Sitharaman had said, “I belong to a family which does not eat onion and garlic.”
It triggered an avalanche of criticism on social media and Congress held a dharna in Parliament complex to protest against economic slowdown and onion prices. Joined by Chidambaram, Congress members Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Kodikunnil Suresh and GauraRead More – Source
