Donald, McDonald's and Deepender Hooda's 2-foot potato

India Today

4 days ago

In the Indian Parliament, sometimes the most memorable debates aren't about numbers or policies. They're about McDonald's and potatoes, with a side of U-turn. This is true of Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda and his two speeches in Parliament, separated by over a decade but connected by one unlikely common thread: McDonald's, the American fast food giant.In his recent speech during the debate on Operation Sindoor on Monday, Hooda called for shutting down McDonald's in India, not over food policy, but because the name reminded him of Donald Trump, whose repeated credit hogging of the India-Pakistan ceasefire had angered him.advertisementHowever, in a speech in 2012, Hooda pitched Haryana over Gujarat to McDonald's and said farmers of the state could grow 24-inch potatoes for the fast-food giant, urging it to source potatoes from Ambala for its fries.
The U-turn is hard to miss. From offering supersized spuds to demanding a shutdown, all over a name.Back then, in 2012, BJP leader and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, gently guided Hooda with humour. Today, her absence was felt. Perhaps only she could've reminded him that not every Donald is the same and a sitting duck for his attacks.During a debate on FDI in retail in 2012, Congress MP Deepender Hooda stood up not just for farmers, but for the size of Haryana's potato produce. Responding to Sushma Swaraj's remark that McDonald's doesn't use Indian potatoes because they're too small for fries, Hooda proudly declared, "McDonald's company need not worry... if you want 24-inch potatoes for fries, come to Ambala". It was a light moment amid a heavy debate, and Sushma Swaraj met it with her signature wit: "Son, you're a farmer's son. First, learn the difference between a potato and a bottle gourd". It was a gentle correction, packed with humour and experience.Fast-forward to 2025.In the middle of a debate on Operation Sindoor and Donald Trump's repeated remarks on having brokered a India-Pakistan ceasefire, Hooda, this time from the Opposition bench, said, "Either silence Donald, shut Donald's mouth, or shut down McDonald's in India."Two speeches, 13 years apart, one unlikely thread — McDonald's. Once, a company to which Hooda was ready to supply with supersized potatoes became the target of his rhetoric, just because the name sounded like someone he disagrees with. It's a reminder that, in Indian politics, metaphors evolve and so do moods, knowingly sometimes otherwise. Perhaps it's less about fast food and more about changing equations and the penchant for wordplay.One could only wish Sushma Swaraj were still around. She had a knack for turning outbursts into thoughtful reflection with just a single line. Perhaps she would've reminded Hooda, once more, gently yet pointedly, that while names may sound alike, not everything deserves to be served with the extra fist of salt.- EndsTune InMust Watch