Union minister for parliamentary affairs and minority affairs Kiren Rijiju, who has been frequently visiting Maharashtra ahead of the Assembly elections in November, shared a video clip of him enjoying Bengali sweets in the state.
Sharing the reel on his Facebook account, Rijiju wrote: "Taste Sambhajinagar sweets!!" A part of his caption was also written in Bengali. "বাঙালি মিষ্টি সব জায়গায় জনপ্রিয়!" which translates to "Bengali sweets are popular everywhere!"
In the video clip, the Union Minister can be seen enjoying two sweet dishes as another person accompanying him tell him about their ingredients. He also tells Rijiju how much the people of Maharashtra savour these Bengali sweets, be it while welcoming guests to their homes or during festivals like Eid. He also tried the famous Bengali dessert Rasmalai.
When he is told that even though Rasmalai is a Bengali dish, it is immensely loved by people of the Marathawad region, he responds saying that he will tell his Bengali brothers about it when he goes back to the state. Watch the video here.
The union minister's frequent visits to poll-bound Maharashtra is being seen as a strategy by the BJP to woo the Marathi Buddhist community, which accounts for around 6-7 percent votes in the state.
Rijiju, who is BJP's Buddist and tribal face in Modi 3.0, is thus trying to garner the support of the Buddhist community. He also reportedly conducted over a hundred meetings across the state with prominent leaders of the community and group meetings with its supporters.
On Sunday, he attended the Bodhi Tree Grand Ceremony 2024 at the Buddha Smarak, Trirashmi Cave in Nashik. He also shared about the event in a post on X.
“The gathering was a celebration of Lord Buddha’s timeless teachings. The Bodhi tree stands as a symbol of hope, reminding us to seek inner peace and to extend compassion to all beings. I offered my prayers to Lord Buddha and paid homage to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar ji. The serene atmosphere of the Buddha Smarak highlighted the importance of peace, compassion and unity in our lives. Lord Buddha’s message continues to guide us toward creating a harmonious society based on love and understanding. Let us all be inspired by his wisdom, working together to foster unity and empathy in our communities,” Rijiju said on X.
The Union Minister has also been visiting places associated with Babasaheb Ambedkar, including his residence in Sambhajinagar. During his visit to Nagpur, he also cautioned the people of Maharashtra to not fall prey to those humiliating Ambedkar and demolishing the structure of the Constitution.
He had also highlighted the initiatives taken by the Centre for welfare of various communities, especically Dalits, as he sooke about the classical language status given to Marathi and Pali, which is sacred for Buddhists.