After the Modi government changed the name of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award to hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award that left many in the Congress party incensed, the Congress party in Karnataka have made it very clear that any attempt to change the name of Indira Canteens (government-run canteens offering subsidised food to poor) will be met with reprisal.
On Tuesday (August 10) the Congress party issued a stern warning it will blacken the nameplates of all the projects named after BJP and Sangh Parivar personalities in the state after BJP national General Secretary C T Ravi had proposed to change the name of Indira canteens.
In a tweet on Saturday, August 7, the Chikkamagaluru MLA wrote, “Request CM Sri @BSBommai to rename Indira Canteens across Karnataka as Annapoorneshwari Canteen at the earliest. Don’t see any reason why Kannadigas should be reminded of the dark days of Emergency while they are having food.”
Request Chief Minister Sri @BSBommai to rename Indira Canteens across Karnataka as "Annapoorneshwari Canteen" at the earliest.
— C T Ravi 🇮🇳 ಸಿ ಟಿ ರವಿ (@CTRavi_BJP) August 7, 2021
Don't see any reason why Kannadigas should be reminded of the dark days of Emergency while they are having food.
Senior Congress leaders and former minister Ramalinga Reddy and former Rajya Sabha member B K Hariprasad said there will be consequences if Indira canteens’ name is changed.
“There is Atal Sarige, Jan Sangh leader Deendayal Upadhyaay’s name given to Yeshwanthpur flyover, and Yelahanka flyover has been named after RSS icon Veer Savarkar. If the name of Indira canteen is going to be changed, then names of all these projects should also change. We will smear all name plates with black colour,” Ramalinga Reddy warned.
“Respect has to be shown to the person who ruled the country for 16 years as the Prime Minister. BJP leaders should be cautious while talking and tweeting… we are capable of giving answers in their fashion,” he added.
Hariprasad said: “BJP leaders have reduced themselves to the level of name changers But, they claim that they are game changers. We will blacken the name plate of Veer Savarkar, who is alleged of carrying out anti-national activities, in the Bengaluru flyover.”
“BJP wants to divert people’s attention from fuel price rise. The project launched by Congress is successful and that is why BJP wants to change the name,” he claimed.
Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah called the renaming of Indira Canteen “vengeance politics.”
Siddaramaiah said, “Demanding a change in the name of Indira Canteen is nothing but vengeance politics. There are so many programmes (named) after the leadership of BJP. Did we demand to change those names?”, reports ANI.
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