BENGALURU: Amma instead of grandmother Indira Gandhi, paying for free inaugural food and forgetting the name of a famed Kannada poet were some of the gaffes in All India Congress Committee vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s 10 minute speech during the Indira Canteen launch in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
The first gaffe was when Rahul Gandhi forgot the canteen was named after his grandmother Indira Gandhi, and referred to it as "Amma canteen”.
Many in the audience were left wondering whether he was impressed by the canteens in Tamil Nadu which were former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalitha’s initiative.
"Very soon, not just Bengaluru but across the state, poor people will be eating good affordable food in Amma canteen,'' he stated.
He was quick to correct it and later, in another speech where another gaffe made an appearance, said every citizen in "many cities of Bengaluru" where Indira canteen will be opened will not starve.
When his speech began, Rahul Gandhi quoted poet-philosopher Sarvagna's couplet which was etched on the stone in front of the canteen. "There is nothing greater than donating food, there is nothing more than food, world runs on food," the couplet went. RaGa, after a few seconds of being unable to recollect the name then attributed it to a famous Kannada poet.
After the event, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G Parameshwar handed Rahul Gandhi Rs 10 from his pocket to buy meal coupons at Indira Canteen. Rahul Gandhi accepted the money and brought Vangibath, which as inaugural offer, food was served free of cost to all.