The Delhi BJP is taking a chapter from Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s humble beginnings as a tea vendor to target voters ahead of the Lok Sabha elections later this year. As part of a public-contact programme, the party has been organising NaMo (Narendra Modi) tea parties to garner the support of highly influential groups such as lawyers, engineers, students, doctors, professors and IT professionals. Through the frequently arranged tea parties, the party hopes to reach out to groups that it felt had deserted it in the recent Assembly polls. The tea parties are targeting the youth, women and professionals so as to prevent a further slide in the BJP’s traditional votes. The party also hopes to ride on what it says is the Modi wave and the tea parties have been launched as a campaign weapon to make him popular among the youth and women. “NaMo tea party is a movement to bring people across the country together to discuss the meteoric rise of Modi from a tea vendor to the PM candidate,” a senior leader said. Such tea parties have already been organised in Mumbai, Chennai, Andhra Pradesh, Bhopal, Uttar Pradesh and Ahmedabad. Delhi has witnessed five such parties. The parties were held with the students of IIT-Delhi, in Saket court, JNU, Safdarjung Club and at Harsh Vardhan’s house, where MBA students were invited. Sources said more such parties have been scheduled in Delhi University, Amity, Galgotias and other educational institutions. “We have also lined up tea parties with RWAs, women groups, NGOs, SC/ST groups etc. We plan to have such parties at the High Court and Supreme Court as well,” a party leader said. The issues being discussed at these parties range from the Naxalite movement, khap panchayat, Modi, poor economic policies to international relations, among others. BJP sources the response has been very good.
