Rahul Gandhi: ‘Amma…er…Indira’ canteens open in Bengaluru

”Many people in Bengaluru live in huge houses, drive rich cars and for them food is not an issue. But millions of people here are construction workers, auto-rickshaw drivers and barbers who do not have enough money. 

The Indira Canteens will serve these people,” Gandhi said while inaugurating the canteen at Jayanagar ward with an apparent eye on the assembly elections slated for early 2018.

In a video that went viral, Gandhi is heard saying: “In a matter of a few months, the poor people across most cities in Karnataka will be able to eat in these Amma...er...Indira canteens.” The state government plans to take the canteens to every district in Karnataka. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had provided Rs 100 crore in the state budget for this fiscal (2017-18) to run the canteens in all the 198 civic wards on the lines of the popular Amma Unavagam in Tamil Nadu, started by Jayalalithaa.

Along with the Chief Minister, city Mayor G Padmavathi, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President G Parameshwara and other party leaders, Gandhi inspected the canteen named after his grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Besides the one in Jayanagar, 100 other canteens will be opened on Wednesday for dinner, which will be served free of cost to everyone on the first day.

NEW DELHI: The SC on Wednesday announced that it will hear the plea filed by seven convicts seeking release, in connection with the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case on Thursday. A bench, headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, will hear the case.