Mamata's 'dhokha'

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee is concerned about the quality of food — not just in trains but also in Parliament. As Parliament canteens are run by Northern Railway, a few days ago, Banerjee was heard asking the supervisor of one of the canteens on how new and delicious food items could be introduced in the menu. When Banerjee asked, “Why don’t you cook dhokar dalna (a popular Bengali cuisine made of pulses)?,” the supervisor was clueless. Banerjee kept on asking him, “Don’t you know dhokha?”. While the officer could relate to the Hindi word, dhokha, meaning deceit, the Minister of State for Urban Development, Saugata Ray, tried to explain how pulses are mashed and then fried to make the dhokha Banerjee had in mind.