A day after Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray promised a full meal at ₹10 on being voted to power in the forthcoming Assembly polls, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) taunted him and thanked him for “stealing” their idea.
“Uddhav Thackeray promised something which we have been implementing for last one year. We congratulate him for the inspiration he found in our initiative. We started this initiative on the birthday of Ajit Pawar despite being not in power. One does not need power to start such services,” said Captain Ashish Damle, NCP’s Badlapur city president.
Mr. Damle had in 2018 started the initiative called Tai’s kitchen which serves a full meal for only ₹10. “We started this kitchen understanding the need of the people of Badlapur, especially the workers and daily wage labourers. We give three chapatis, subji and rice for ₹10. Hundreds of people come and eat healthy food. This social service does not need government power, only will power and good intention to serve the people,” he said.
Mr. Thackeray in his Vijayadashmi address at Shivaji Park on Tuesday promised that the new Sena government would provide full meals at ₹10. The announcement is seen as a continuation of the zunka-bhakar kendras which were established during the previous Sena-BJP government in 1995. These centres used to provide zunka and bhakri at ₹ 1.
The concept of Tai’s kitchen, started by the NCP, is also inspired from the Amma canteen launched by the Tamil Nadu government under the then chief minister J. Jayalalitha and Indira canteens launched by the previous Congress government in Karnataka.
