Samridhi@Kochi, a five-year-old budget eatery opened during the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) regime, and the proposed Indira Canteen, a similar initiative announced by the newly elected United Democratic Front (UDF) governing committee as part of its 50-day action plan, were at the centre of a heated debate between ruling and Opposition councillors at the Kochi Corporation council meeting on Tuesday.

While the LDF accused the UDF of attempting to sabotage Samridhi by opening the proposed canteen on the Samridhi premises, the UDF insisted that this was not the case, and that their rival’s objection was merely to naming the project after the late Congress leader.