Bengaluru: All the Indira canteens set up outside of Bengaluru may be renamed to ‘Maharshi Valmiki Anna Kutira’, according to a statement issued by state Revenue Minister R Ashoka. The government’s decision evoked a sharp response from the Congress party as they called it “cheap politics”.
Speaking to reporters, Ashoka said that the decision to rename the canteens after Valmiki was made based on a suggestion by Shorapur MLA Narasimha Nayak. Currently, there are over 250 Indira canteens in the state barring the ones located in Bengaluru.
When asked why the canteens in the city would not be renamed, Ashoka said, “I do not handle the Bengaluru department portfolio. The chief minister will make a decision in this regard.”
It can be recalled that the canteens were an initiative of the Congress government led by former CM Siddaramaiah. When asked about this latest decision of the BJP government, Siddaramaiah said, “The BJP government’s intent to rename Indira Canteens shows it’s playing cheap politics. While we are proud of Maharshi Valmiki, Indira Gandhi was a leader of this nation and not restricted to the Congress. It is an absolute shame that the BJP is replacing her name with that of Maharshi Valmiki for political gains.”
