PM Modi strikes emotional chord with Jind tea vendor

“Mein bhi chaiwala raha hoon, …aap ka bhai hoon.” With these words, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today tried to strike an emotional connection with Mukesh Saini, a tea vendor from Ramrai (Jind), as he went down the memory lane remembering ‘good old days’ in Haryana in 1990s, during a massive digital outreach with party cadre through NaMo app.

The interaction, organised as part of the “mera booth, sabse majboot’ programme of the saffron party just over a week ahead of the October 5 Assembly polls saw Prime Minister establish an instant connect with Mukesh, when the latter told him that even caretaker Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini had come to his shop recently and himself prepared the tea there.

Digital date with jawan, Dalits, OBC

• The BJP smartly selected a cross-section of society for interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi through NaMo app
• These included Mukesh Saini, an OBC, ex-serviceman Ranbir Singh, war widow Kamlesh Sheoran, and a Dalit Ajay Poonia

“Chief Minister Saini is just an elder brother,” Mukesh told the Prime Minister to which Modi instantly replied that he (Modi), being a tea vendor himself, was also like his brother.” “Aap ke pass to bade bade log chai pene aate hai…mein bhi to aap ka bhai hoon (prominent people come to have tea at your shop… I am also your brother,” Modi quipped.

In fact, Modi did not miss to showcase the welfare initiative undertaken by the ‘double-engine’ BJP governments at the Centre and Haryana for the Backward Classes. “The BJP elevated a Backward like me as country’s Prime Minister while in Haryana an OBC leader Saini has been made the Chief Minister, “Not to talk of naming any OBC as the Chief Minister, the Congress is even fighting shy of acknowledging the fact that the BJP elevated Backward Class leaders to the top positions in the country and the state,” Modi asserted.

Modi, who remained the general secretary in-charge for Haryana for several years during 1990s, remembered the days spent as “BJP karyakarta” in the state. He exhorted the party cadre to work with zeal and commitment to win polling booths to score a hat-trick in Haryana after the October 5 Assembly polls.

Meanwhile, another participant Kamlesh Sheoran, wife of Kargil martyr Rajbir Sheoran, recounted how the BJP government’s schemes had benefitted a cross-section of society, including ex-servicemen, women and senior citizens.

Modi urged the booth-level workers to put their full might into the election campaign in the last leg of electioneering. “We should not merely rely on factionalism within the Congress but work on bringing more party workers to the polling booths to cast their votes on the polling day,” Modi added.