New Delhi: It has become a recognisable political trend by now. As part of their Dalit outreach strategy, politicians of all hues once in a while – especially on the eve of elections – drop by at the home of a Dalit family to have a meal.

The latest in the list is Suresh Rana, minister of state (independent charge) for cane development and sugar mills in the Uttar Pradesh government. On Monday night, Rana had dinner at the house Rajnish Kumar, who belongs to the Dalit community. Paradoxically though, media reports said that the minister brought his own food, water and cutlery to the man's house. The pictures have gone viral on social media.

An Indian Express report quoted Rajnish Kumar (who told news agency ANI), the man who 'hosted' Rana, as saying,“I didn’t even know they are coming for dinner. They came suddenly. They had arranged all food, water and cutlery from outside.” It seemed that Kumar was not aware of the minister's arrival at his home.

When Rana was asked to comment on the house owner’s claim of being unaware of the dinner, he said, “This is a piece of information you are giving me. The entire family was sitting with me during the dinner. I saw a news clip that claimed that food was brought from outside or some hotel. The food was prepared in that village itself by the villagers.”

Those familiar with the development said Rana and his supporters were served dal makhni, matar paneer, pulao, tandoori roti, naan and gulab jamun, besides bottled mineral water.

Even when reporters confronted him by pointing out that the food did not look like it was cooked at a poor Dalit house, the minister said, “I am reiterating that the food was prepared at the house of a Dalit. The village head is a Dalit, the local MLA is a Dalit, the programme was organised by them and there was a community feast. An issue is being made out of this as some people have problems with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath.”

A similar controversy arose last year when when chief minister Adityanath visited a soldier's house, prior to which an air conditioner was installed and a carpet, a saffron sofa and saffron towels were reportedly sent to the house.

Meanwhile, in yet another incident, Uma Bharti, a Union minister in the BJP cabinet, has added to the controversy by saying that inviting Dalits to her home and serving them food would make her feel "pure and pious." Bharti also said that her dining at a Dalit's home would not "purify" them. “I don’t consider myself Lord Ram that I can purify Dalits by eating at their homes. Instead, I prefer inviting Dalits to my home and serving them personally – that makes me purified,” Bharti was heard saying in a video.

Bharti’s remark came after she skipped a samrasta bhoj (community meal) with Dalits during her visit to Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. She later claimed that she wasn't aware of the feast and was quoted out of context.

In 2016, Rahul Gandhi, then Congress vice-president along with his senior colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad had lunch at a Dalit home  in Bargain village in UP during his Kisan Yatra.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.