Coimbatore : Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Monday lauded the variety of food in South India.

At the inauguration of extended building and facilities of the private VGM Hospital here, Purohit recollected the food habits of Mahatma Gandhi, where he preferred chapathi to poori, the latter being “poison as it was fried”.

Drawing parallel with the South Indian food, he said he cultivated the habit of having Tamil Nadu food for the breakfast.

“Idli, upma and pongal, it is light, simple and hygienic,” he said amidst thunderous applause.

Changing lifestyle and food habits had led to obesity, resulting in various disease, he said.

It may be recalled that Punjab Minister and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu had kicked up a controversy when he said about the food in Tamil Nadu: “Not I didn’t like the food. But I cannot have it for long time.”