Calling it a result of Modi’s popularity, BJP inaugurated as many as 127 such stalls.
A new craze has gripped Surat– NaMo tea stalls. The number of these stalls is constantly growing in the city. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) says that it indicates Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s popularity, the Congress calls it a political gimmick just to attract people’s attention. The BJP has inaugurated at least 127 such stalls here in the last two days.
Currently, Surat has over 300-400 NaMo tea stalls. Displaying NaMo on board not only makes the stall special, but also gives a boost to business. According to an estimate, there are about one lakh tea stalls in the city.
Tea stall owners here say that BJP prime ministerial candidate Modi is one of them hence they are promoting him. “Modi is among one of us (who once sold tea) so there is nothing wrong in placing his banner on our stall. This is our way to support Modi, who has always set high standards in life,” said Prakash Purohit, a tea stall owner at Sahara-Darwaja here. Originally from Rajasthan, Purohit wants to see Modi as the prime minister. This will make tea stall owners proud of their profession, he added.
Taking advantage from Modi’s chaiwala tag, the BJP is also promoting NaMo tea stalls in the city. “This clearly shows the reaction of the people over comments made by Congress leaders against Modi. Poor and lower class people associate themselves with Narendra Modi and this is the reason behind the increasing number of NaMo tea stalls,” BJP district president Purnesh Modi said. The party is flooded with requests from tea stall owners to start NaMo stalls, he claimed.
However, terming it as a political gimmick, Congress leaders here said that it was just an attempt to divert attention of the people from core development issues. “This is just an attempt to mislead the common people. NaMo tea stall does not mean that people support him. BJP has a tendency to raise unnecessary issues,” said district Congress spokesperson Aslam Cyclewala.
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