Heeding the call by party chief J P
Nadda to reach out to the poor during the ongoing lockdown, various BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu are feeding many needy through the 'Modi Kitchens' initiative.
The state's first Modi kitchen was launched on March30 in Coimbatore by party's state general secretary Vanathi Srinivasan and it caters to about 500 people.
Senior party leader and former MP C P Radhakrishnan keeps alive two kitchens in Coimbatore and Tiruppur in westernTamil Nadu to feed 1,000 persons totally, while Meena Dev runs a similar kitchen in Nagercoil to provide food to 500 individuals daily.
"Our party leader (Nadda) has asked us to take care of the poor, especially those who can't afford their daily meals. So, depending on our individual resources, we have pooled in manpower and sourced groceries to prepare food through the Modi kitchens and deliver it at people's doorsteps," Radhakrishnan told PTI.
The joy of M V Sasidharan, BJP's Tiruvallur district general secretary knew no bounds when Nadda called him two days ago to enquire about his well-being.
"Are you safe? Is your family safe?" the BJP chief enquired about Sasidharan, one of the many party functionaries who are operating Modi Kitchens.
In his district neighbouring Chennai, Sasidharan was instrumental in setting up 13 such kitchens.
"Naddaji asked all of us to help the people without risking our lives," he said, adding "the very question of our survival is at stake. We should ensure the coronavirus doesn't spread."
The beneficiaries of the initiative are happy that the ruling party at the Centre is reaching out to them in such difficult times.
Kans Ram, a construction worker stranded in Maduravoyal near the city, said the BJP functionaires initially gave them cooked food, but on request later provided dry ration.
"We sought rice and vegetables as we have facilities to cook. They (BJP members) were not rigid. They obliged and gave us rice bags, onion, tomatoes and potatoes for us to cook our own food," he said.
Now they have five days' stock to manage.
Gomathy, a small time flower vendor in Velachery said: "With no business and no money to buy rice, the Modi kitchen has enabled my family of three to get decent food daily."
The party even responded to a request from an attendant at a hospital on Egmore High Road.
"As I could not step out of the hospital leaving my father alone, I requested help from local BJP members, who responded by delivering us food," said Krishnan.
Besides the Modi Kitchen, the Tamil Nadu government's flagship Amma Canteens, low cost eateries catering to the needy and poor, have turned out to be much sought after ones.
The highly subsidised Amma Canteens, run by the civic bodies, have been receiving a steady trickle of high profile visitors in recent days, including Chief Minister K Palaniswami.
The Chief Minister visited a canteen here and tasted the food to instill confidence among the people that the fare provided through the canteens are hygienic, prompting his cabinet colleagues to follow suit and visit the eateries in their respective constituencies.
State ministers visited the Amma Canteens to encourage the people to buy the subsidised food, as restaurants and hotels have also been closed due to the curfew.
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