JD(S) plans own version of canteens, names it after Gowda

Taking a cue from the Congress government’s Indira Canteen project, the Janata Dal (Secular) has come out with its own version called Namma Deve Gowda Appaji (NDA) canteen.

Even as the ruling Congress is struggling to find space to start the canteens, the JD(S) has already set up one on 50 ft road, Hanumanthanagar, and will launch it on August 2. Based on its performance, the party intends to start one each in all the 27 Assembly constituencies of Bengaluru, a month after the launch of its first canteen.

The rate card will be similar to the Indira Canteens – tiffin comprising thatte idli, vada, khara bath and kesari bath for Rs 5 per plate, coffee or tea for Rs 3 and lunch for Rs 10. The star attraction in the lunch will be ragi mudde (ragi balls).

“We have kept ragi mudde as the special item in our lunch because it is the favourite dish of former prime minister Deve Gowda. It was Gowda who popularised ragi mudde in North India as prime minister,” said JD(S) spokesperson and MLC T A Sharavana, who is the brain behind the NDA canteen.

The JD(S) has no plans as of now to serve tiffin in the evening and dinner, but in the coming days, the NDA canteen would be upgraded. Sharavana said the NDA canteen should not be compared with Indira Canteen.

“The objective of Indira Canteen is to woo the voters. If that was not the case, why did the government wake up just a year before the election?” Sharavana said. He said Gowda inspired him to start the canteen.

“Every year, I send one lakh laddus to Tirupati to seek the blessings of Lord Venkateshwara and then, I distribute them among the people. Gowda asked me why not I start a canteen for the poor. There are lakhs of people in Karnataka who go to sleep hungry, for whom we will start the canteens. There is no motive other than feeding the hungry,” said Sharavana. He clarified that the canteen is for everyone and not exclusively for those from the economically weaker sections.

Reacting to the JD(S)’ plan, KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao said the party had a habit of making announcements and never implementing them. “They (JDS) may announce or even start it, but how long will they run it? Where are the resources? Who is going to monitor the food quality? Indira Canteen, on the other hand, is a government programme that will continue to serve the masses,” said Rao.