PM Modi’s date with Indian Coffee House in Shimla catches locals by surprise

PM Narendra Modi made a surprise stop at the Indian Coffee House after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur in Shimla on Wednesday. (Express photo)

Exactly eight months back on this day (April 27), while he was addressing BJP’s “Privartan” rally on Shimla’s Mall Road, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went nostalgic as he recalled the coffee sessions he had at the iconic Indian Coffee House when he was the party incharge in 1997-1998.

On Wednesday, the PM relived those days as he made a surprise stop at the Indian Coffee House while he was returning to Delhi after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur at the Ridge. The visit was not on the PM’s itinerary and the unscheduled halt caught the employees of the eatery by surprise. Even though none of his old companions were there, including his journalist friends during that time, Modi exchanged pleasantries with the people who assembled around him.

The people who had come to watch the oath-taking ceremony were startled as the PM’s motorcade stopped in front of the Indian Coffee House gate. (Express photo)

The people who had come to watch the oath-taking ceremony were startled as the PM’s motorcade stopped in front of the Indian Coffee House gate. Modi stood on the Mall Road and had a cuppa while talking with his fans. “It took me a moment to believe that I was standing next to Modiji. Infact, I had stood by the side of the Coffee House thinking that his motorcade will pass by,” said Danish Sood, a student.

Sharing photos of his visit on Twitter, Modi said, “In Shimla, relished coffee at the Indian Coffee House and reminisced the old days.” “The coffee tastes as good as it did two decades ago, when I would frequent Himachal for party work,” he said.