Panaji: Indian food is time tested and in the long run idli, sambar and dosa will phase out pizzas and burgers globally, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu said on Friday.

“…the food of India is time tested. It is attracting international attention… Your idli, your sambar, your dosa are becoming international. Pizzas and burgers will not be able to stand before them in the long run,” Naidu said.

He was speaking at a convocation ceremony hosted by the National Institute of Technology, Goa, here.”Goan fish curry has no parallel. Nobody can beat it. Once you get used to it, you will be tempted because it is time tested,” he said.Naidu added that India was one of the oldest surviving civilizations.

“India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, surviving civilization, lively civilization. Roman, Egyptian, Greek, other civilizations are also there. What is the position of those civilizations and what is the position of India’s civilization (now)? “India is strong. India is very dynamic because India believes in ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (world is one family),” he said.

The Election Commission’s latest circular enforcing model code of conduct in Telangana with immediate effect in the wake of dissolution of the state assembly has landed Telangana Rashtra Samithi president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and his team in a big soup.

The ECI has clearly pointed out that as per the observation of the Supreme Court, the caretaker government should merely carry on the day-to-day government and desist from taking any major policy situation decision. Therefore, the Model Code of Conduct came into force immediately after the dissolution of Assembly.

Now, KCR cannot participate in any official programme in the capacity of the chief minister nor can his cabinet colleagues do the same in the capacity of ministers.On Friday, KCR’s son K T Rama Rao cancelled his programme of distributing cheques to Brahmin entrepreneurs on behalf of Telangana Brahmin Parishad in the wake of enforcement of model code of conduct.Not only that the TRS leaders including corporation chairpersons and other political appointees cannot use official vehicles.

Perhaps KCR and his cabinet colleagues might use the official vehicles because of security reasons. Their photographs cannot be used in any of the government advertisements.The EC instructed that the caretaker chief ministers and ministers, chairmen of various corporations and other nominated heads cannot use all official resources.

If EC orders are implemented, the authorities will have to remove pictures of KCR and other ministers from all public properties.Further, the ECI would also keep a tab on all announcements made by KCR after dissolution of Assembly and take action for violation of poll code.

Social media circles are agog with rumours for the last few hours that senior actor and Hindupur MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna is planning to rope his second son-law M Sri Bharat into politics in 2019.

Bharat, grandson of senior Telugu Desam Party leader and former Visakhapatnam MP and founder of Gitam Group of Institutions M V V S Murthy, was married to Balakrishna’s younger daughter Tejaswini in 2013.

Balakrishna’s elder son-in-law Nara Lokesh is already an heir apparent of his father and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Though Bharat has been keeping a low profile and was mostly confined to taking care of his family business, reports say he has been evincing interest in politics for the last few months.

During 2014 elections, Bharat campaigned for a brief period for Balakrishna in Hindupur assembly segment.

According to reports, Bharat is showing interest in contesting as an MP from Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha constituency and for the last few days, he has been in constant touch with the local TDP leaders and cadre.

In 2014, the TDP sacrificed the seat to BJP as part of alliance and then BJP state president Kambhapati Hari Babu got elected from this constituency.

Now that the TDP parted ways with the BJP, Bharat is keen on contesting from Vizag. But one doubts whether Naidu would oblige his request as Visakhapatnam is a very high-profile constituency and he cannot take risk by fielding a political novice like Bharat, party sources say.

But with the strong support from his grandfather M V V S Murthy and campaign by his father-in-law Balakrishna, Bharat is said to be confident of winning the seat. Watch out for more developments!