Photo in Anna Canteen ads leave Naidu redfaced

HYDERABAD: An advertisement released in newspapers and used in hoardings by the state Information and Public Relations Department to publicise the much-hyped Anna Canteens launched by Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on July 11 has left his government red-faced.

One of the pictures used in the advertisement is that of Rajanna Canteens launched by YSR Congress party MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy from Mangalagiri assembly constituencyin May 2017. The picture, showing a Muslim and another person having lunch at the opposition MLA’S canteen, was taken by his followers.

Naidu inaugurated the Anna Canteen for the first time in June 2016 on the premises of state secretariat at Velagapudi, which is part of the upcoming capital Amaravati. Last Wednesday, his government launched 60 such Anna Canteens across the state. Naidu himself inaugurated the canteen at Vijayawada.

The canteens were named after Telugu Desam Party founder and former chief minister NT Rama Rao who was fondly called Anna. The canteens offer food at a nominal rate of at ₹5 a plate as opposed to ₹4 per plate offered in Rajanna canteens.

“It was surprising that the Naidu government used one of the pictures of people having subsidised mean at my canteen,” Ramakrishna Reddy said.

When contacted, I&PR commissioner S Venkateshwar feigned ignorance and said, “The entire publicity for the Anna Canteens was handled by the Municipal Administration Department. We have to find out how it happened.”