Mangaluru : At the same time of the Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched the Karnataka government’s flagship programme ‘Indira Canteen’ in Bengaluru along with state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The coastal city Mangaluru saw the opening of a similar facility with the difference being that it was a mere makeshift canteen.

Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activists on Wednesday staged a novel protest by opening a makeshift canteen under a pandal outside the deputy commissioner’s office here. They were demanding that the government replicate Indira canteens in Mangaluru.

Unlike Bengaluru where the menu was different for breakfast and during meal time, the items here were local cuisine that included idli, sanjeera, biscuit rotti and cha (tea) all priced at Rs 5 each.

To spread the message loud and clear, DYFI leaders B K Imtiyaz, Santosh Kumar Bajal among others, savoured the food items after paying for the food.

Imtiyaz said that if such canteens are opened in Mangaluru, the government will be able to cater to a large section of people from the proletariat community. With most of the daily wagers engaged in jobs at markets, fish yards and ports among other commercial places, it would be ideal if the government extends the facility beyond the state capital, he said.