British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a “devout Hindu”, issued his greetings for Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas on Saturday expressing hope for a brighter tomorrow. The 43-year-old leader referenced his Indian heritage in the customary festive message from 10 Downing Street for Hindus and Sikhs in the UK and around the world.

“Happy Diwali to all those celebrating around the world and across the UK, and a very happy Bandi Chhor Divas to our friends in the Sikh community,” said Mr Sunak.

“With the lighting of the diyas, let this be a moment we can look to the future with hope. My guiding light as Prime Minister is the determination to change things for the better, and as a symbol of the triumph of light over darkness, I believe Diwali is a poignant representation of the endeavour for a brighter tomorrow,” he said.

“As your first British Asian Prime Minister, and a devout Hindu, I also hope this can be a celebration of the fantastic ethnic and cultural diversity which makes the UK the place it is today,” he added.

Earlier this week, Rishi Sunak and wife Akshata Murty hosted a special Diwali reception at 10 Downing Street, attended by prominent members of the Indian community and also Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar, Twinkle Khanna and Preity Zinta.

Tonight Prime Minister @RishiSunak welcomed guests from the Hindu community to Downing Street ahead of #Diwali – a celebration of the triumph of light over darkness.

Shubh Diwali to everyone across the UK and around the world celebrating from this weekend! pic.twitter.com/JqSjX8f85F

— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) November 8, 2023

The Prime Ministerial office-cum-residence was decorated in a theme of vibrant marigolds, rangoli and candles on Wednesday evening as the UK’s first couple marked a year since Mr Sunak took charge as Britain’s first Prime Minister of Indian heritage.

A day later, on Thursday, entrepreneur and Noor Group of Hotels UK chief Roop Partap Choudhary said he was among a select group of guests at a special “Diwali Milan” hosted by the first couple at their Downing Street residence.

“It’s an immense honour to represent not just myself but also my hometown Karnal and the incredible Indian hospitality industry on such a prestigious platform,” said Choudhary, who is preparing to launch the second branch of the popular Colonel Saab Indian restaurant at Trafalgar Square in London later this month. 

Launching a blistering attack on the Congress in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the grand old party will foist a ‘Teen Tigaada-Kaam Bigaada’ (too many cooks playing spoiler) government on the people if elected.

Addressing a rally at Dhar in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, Mr Shah said, “Theirs would be a ‘Teen-Tigada, Kaam Bigada’ government. The orders will come from the Gandhi family, instructions will be given by (Congress state president) Kamal Nath and Digvijay Singh will be made the fall guy. When the Congress ruled the country and states, and, especially under (former Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh, who took his orders from Sonia Gandhi, Pakistan inflicted deep cuts on the country by unleashing terror on unarmed civilians whenever they wished. Shortly after we formed the government (in 2014), terrorists from across the border struck again, in Uri and Pulwama (in Jammu and Kashmir). However, this time, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we crossed over into Pakistan and hit them in their own backyard.”

चाहें केंद्र में हो या राज्यों में, भाजपा सरकारों ने हमेशा जनजातीय समाज के कल्याण को प्राथमिकता दी है। यही कारण है कि जनजातीय समाज भाजपा के साथ है। मनावर (मध्य प्रदेश) जनसभा की तस्वीरें। pic.twitter.com/0ZuXcwWlSx

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) November 11, 2023

Also accusing the Congress of advancing the family’s interests over those of the country and the party itself, the BJP stalwart said Sonia wants to make Rahul Gandhi Prime Minister in 2024.

“In the interest of securing the country’s borders and rooting out terror perpetrated from across the border, you have to bring Modi-ji back as PM. The Congress is a family-based party. Kamal Nath wants to make Nakul Nath CM (of Madhya Pradesh) and Sonia Gandhi wants to make Rahul PM,” Mr Shah added.

Also accusing the grand old party of putting the proposed Ram Temple in Ayodhya in cold storage, Mr Shah said the BJP, if voted back, will take everyone in the state on a visit to the shrine by turn.

“Madhya Pradesh is gearing up to celebrate Diwali thrice this year. The first will be celebrated tomorrow, the second will be on December 3, after the BJP forms the government here and the third will be on January 22 when the Ram Temple in Ayodhya will be consecrated and Ram Lalla will take this throne. The Congress had put it (the Ram Temple project) in the freezer during their rule. Now the temple is in its last stage of construction and Modi-ji is set to throw it open for devotees next year. Once we return to power here, we will arrange visits to Ayodhya for every single person,” he said.

Also invoking the revocation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, which stripped the state of its special privileges, Mr Shah said, “When I stood up to table the Kashmir Bill in Parliament, Rahul Baba said, ‘don’t remove Article 37 as it will spark nationwide uproar. Today, no one dares to even light a fire in Kashmir. Modi-ji worked to secure the country from the threat of infiltration. Recently, the NIA stopped the Rohingyas from illegally settling in India by carrying out raids. It was also under the leadership of Modi-ji that PFI (People’s Front of India) was banned. Also, by removing Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, the Valley became ours forever.”

Also crediting PM Modi wit reviving cultural centres that had fallen into neglect under previous regimes at the Centre, the Union Home Minister added, “While Modi-ji took the lead in reviving several cultural centres in the country, the Congress opposed a Metro (network) being named after Raja Bhoj. We are also raising a temple of Sant Ravidas in Sagar.”

Indians and their obsession with spices knows no boundary. After all Indian cuisine is much loved for its rich flavour, which honestly won’t be possible without varied spices. It seems former Masterchef Australia judge Gary Mehigan also agrees with it. We say this because Gary dropped a post showing his preparation for red chutney that he made to enjoy along with a Bombay-style Sandwich. How was it? All things spicy. Gary’s post included a series of clips. The first video revealed that he soaked Kashmiri red chillies so that they turn plump. In the clip, he can be heard saying, “Let’s see how hot they are?” Then he grinds the soaked chillies with a few ingredients that he mentioned in the caption. Before grinding it all into a thick paste, Gary Mehigan mentioned that he removed all the seeds so that it tasted spicy but not so much. He said, “It is hot, but certainly not as hot as the other ones.” The last video showed bright red chilli paste served in a small bowl. Oh relax, he won’t eat it straight away. In the note attached to the post, the celebrity chef revealed that he will add a bit of mayonnaise and kewpie so that it turns “really luscious”.

Sharing the post, Gary Mehigan wrote, “Red chutney for Bombay sandwich…I used big Kashmiri chillies, garlic, toasted cumin, toasted chana dal, a pinch of salt and black salt. Plus a good pinch of Shan chaat spice. It tastes really good but I’m putting it out there what’s your recipe…? Will mix a bit of mayo or kewpie in to make it really luscious…!”

Also Read: Chef Gary Mehigan Gives Shout-Out To Two Madurai Men Making Bun Parotta

The internet loved Gary Mehigan’s red chutney. Many users urged him to share the complete recipe.

A few users claimed that his way of preparing red chutney and their way of preparing garlic chutney are similar but with a difference in the quantity of garlic. A comment read, “This is also used in Bombay chaat and is known as garlic chutney so the only difference for me would be a generous dose of garlic and some lime juice.”

“So if you add some shallow fried tomatoes and onions and blend them together with this chutney you’ll make the yummiest red chutney that you can eat with dosa & idli,” read a comment.

Another person wrote that the red chutney “could go in as a base for the bhaji in pav bhaji”.

“Thank you for sharing this very authentic recipe! It’s my absolute favourite on sandwiches and parathas,” said a person.

Would you like to give this recipe a try?