KOLKATA: Ahead of the Assembly polls, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerji launched the Maa canteen to provide subsidised meals to the poor and the destitute at a nominal price of Rs 5 a plate. This has rattled the Opposition as it draws parallels with Indira canteen launched by the earlier Congress government in Karnataka and the Amma canteen in Tamil Nadu by the AIADMK government.
MamataBanerji, while launching the scheme which has a budget of 100 crore, said "Though we give free rations there is still a huge demand for cooked food. Therefore, we are starting these community kitchens. This initiative is for the common people."
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is positioning itself as the main challenger to the TMC has taken critical note of it. State BJP president DilipGhosh said "The CM had kept people hungry and the poor like beggars, and this highlights the distress of the people of the state." (IANS)
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