IndiaPosted at: Oct 8 2026 6:07PM


Congress’ ‘lunchplomacy’—a political strategy with a surprise element

Vibha Sharma
New Delhi, Oct 8 (UNI) There is a popular children’s game played across the world called hide-and-seek. In India, it is also called 'chhupan chhupai' in which the word 'dhappa', which broadly means “got you”, “caught you” or “surprise”, is used when the hider successfully sneaks up behind the seeker or the denner without being spotted.
After the 'dhappa', the game is reset.
That’s precisely what the Congress/INDIA bloc seems to be trying through its high-profile lunches at restaurants in Connaught Place (CP) and Janpath—Sagar Ratna and Moets—both located in the close vicinity of Delhi’s power centre, including the protest site at Jantar Mantar, Parliament and top government offices such as the Election Commission of India, against which the bloc is protesting.
There are multiple reasons for the unique strategy.
First and foremost, the police can stop the INDIA bloc from holding a protest, but not from having lunch.
So, the main tactical reason may be to first bypass police restrictions and then spring a surprise. Normally, Opposition protests originate from locations such as Parliament, which are quickly barricaded. By gathering at a restaurant, the Opposition keeps law enforcement guessing about its plan—the final destination, route, and other details — somewhat like a 'dhappa'.
Congress leaders adopted a similar technique when they staged a dharna outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence earlier. Besides, the authorities, even if they know the name of the restaurant, cannot possibly seal off Connaught Place, Delhi’s commercial hotspot.
So, while the aim is to pull a surprise, a high-profile lunch outing generates eyeballs and media traction that conventional methods may not, helping the Opposition gain both political and media space.
The optics of a cordial lunch also help smooth over friction and internal dissonance, especially after reports that some INDIA bloc members felt sidelined by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra taking centre stage during Tuesday’s sit-in at the Akashwani Bhawan complex.
A cordial physical meeting over a meal projects the image of a happy family and also allows the top INDIA bloc leadership to bond and finalise its next move while keeping the details confidential. Incidentally, the Samajwadi Party allies absent from Wednesday’s meeting attended Thursday’s lunch.
Connaught Place and Janpath are at the heart of New Delhi, and holding a high-profile political event there helps push the Opposition Bloc’s demand—in this case, the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged anomalies in voter rolls—in a more in-your-face kind of way.
Incidentally, many people caught in traffic jams around the area claimed they did not really mind being stuck, pointing out that they regularly face similar disruptions when the cavalcades of the Prime Minister and other senior leaders pass.
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