Known for its mouth-watering, sumptuous food that comes in unlimited quantity for Rs 120, Andhra Pradesh Bhavan's famous canteen which usually brims with foodies had empty tables on Monday.
The reason behind the sudden slack of crowd was Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's fasting show which was offering equally sumptuous meal "TTD Prasadam" on a grand scale to all the visitors in the nearby maidan.
People who otherwise would have headed for Andhra Bhavan canteen to have food, soon discovered the 'TTD Prsadam' venue in the adjacent ground. The food offered was not a bad deal, even if not as versatile as the nearby canteen as it offered biryani, two types of dal, rice, two kinds of sabzi, sweets along with a steaming cup of tea. And while this meal was also unlimited, unlike the canteen, it was provided free of cost.
The venue incidentally also sported a placard that first became a talking point and later an embarrassment for the TDP and its chief Naidu. It read, "Jiske haath mein chai ka jhoota cup dena tha, uske haath mein janta ne desh de diya (One who was meant to do dishes, was given the responsibility of running the nation)". Next to the placard were two kulhads (earthen cups) used for serving tea in rural area.
The dig, which was very poor in taste, at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's origin as a chaiwala did not go down well with the BJP. The party's social media chief Amit Malviya tweeted, "Opposition never misses an opportunity to target PM's humble social origins. Is it a curse to belong from a lower class background?"
On a back foot, the TDP immediately disassociated itself from the poster saying it denounces any such act.
Another Row
- The venue of Chandrababu Naidu’s fast had a placard which took a dig at PM Modi’s humble origin as chaiwala in a very poor taste.
- It became a point of embarrassment for protesting TDP. After the BJP slammed the party, Chandrababu quickly dissociated his party from the placard.
