Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was quite open about how he relished the taste of Hyderabadi biryani and `chai’ in the past. Years ago, he broke his security precautions and rushed to Paradise Hotel in Secunderabad with friends to savour biryani. It made big news.

During his visit to the city on Saturday, he was unfailing in mentioning his liking for the local biryani and chai at the extended general body meeting of State Congress committee at Gandhi Bhavan. The Congress leaders immediately got the wind and ordered biryani from the same Paradise Hotel and tea from Niloufer Cafe at Nampally which was equally famous for the beverage.

Mr. Gandhi was said to have consumed the biryani together with a Coke at the lunch arranged for him in one of the rooms of Gandhi Bhavan immediately after the meeting. He also drank the chai from Niloufer Cafe before taking his special flight back to Delhi.

Exam blues

The Intermediate exams have commenced in the State after much dilly dallying due to clash of dates with the exams of Central agencies.

The exams which generally commenced in March were delayed by nearly two months in the process, resulting in immense mental burden to the students. As though that was not enough, a girl student who went to the exam centre near Jangaon to write her Sanskrit paper was given Hindi exam paper.

The girl sat through the entire duration of three hours and fifteen minutes without writing a word on the answer sheet and narrated the matter to her father who was waiting outside the centre. He took up the issue with the centre in-charge who conveyed the lapse to the secretary of Board of Intermediate Education. The response of the board is still awaited

Election fever

Looks like political activity in the State is reaching its crescendo much ahead of the election time going by the manner in which high profile leaders of national parties are rushing to address meetings in the State.

BJP national president J.P. Nadda recently visited the State ostensibly to participate in the praja sangrama yatra of the party’s State president Bandi Sanjay Kumar resulting in charges and counter-charges between the BJP and the ruling TRS. Barely two days after Mr. Nadda’s visit, Congress MP and former AICC president Rahul Gandhi arrived in the State resulting in a war of words between the Congress and the TRS. As the heated arguments continue, the talk is now on the proposed visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on May 14 for addressing a public meeting on the city outskirts.

Seems like people are likely to witness increased political acrimony in the coming days.