In a notable departure from typical VIP culture, Union Minister and former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar chose to stand in a common queue with other visitors at a cultural gathering in the national capital. The incident, which highlighted a gesture of humility, occurred during the 'Haryana Maitri Diwas' event held at the Delhi Police Mess on Sunday, December 23, 2025.
Minister Joins the Common Queue
Attending the event connected to his home state, Khattar was informed that the queue was for visitors to make a contribution of Rs 3,500. This payment was required to receive a name tag and a lunch plate at the function. Instead of using his ministerial status to bypass the line, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader patiently waited his turn and made his personal contribution. The annual event, now in its second edition, was organized by Chandigarh's Director General of Police, Sagarpreet Hooda.
The gathering saw the presence of several other distinguished personalities with roots in Haryana. Among them were Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, who hails from Hisar, and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, whose family origins lie in Julana, Haryana. Their attendance underscored the event's significance as a confluence of Haryanvi diaspora in prominent positions.
Parliamentary Committee Agenda Revised
In a separate but related political development, the agenda for an upcoming meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj was modified. The committee, chaired by Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, had initially planned to discuss and compare the VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025 with the existing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in a meeting scheduled for December 29.
However, BJP MP Vivek Thakur wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday, arguing that a comparative analysis would be premature until the new bill is actually implemented. Following this intervention, it was decided that the committee's discussion would be focused solely on MGNREGA, avoiding a direct comparison between the legislation introduced by the previous UPA government and the current NDA administration's bill.
A Symbolic Gesture in Delhi's Political Circuit
Khattar's simple act of standing in a queue did not go unnoticed in political circles, often marked by strict protocols and privileges. The event, 'Haryana Maitri Diwas', serves as a platform for individuals from Haryana working in and around Delhi to connect. The minister's participation in the mundane process of registration and payment was seen as a symbolic alignment with the common attendee, setting a tone of accessibility.
These occurrences—a minister's unassuming behavior at a cultural meet and a last-minute change in a parliamentary committee's agenda—reflect the ongoing dynamics within India's political and administrative spheres, where protocol, public perception, and legislative strategy continuously interact.
