NaMo tea can’t be tagged as BJP decision, says Ashish Shelar

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has apparently distanced itself from the proposal tabled by its corporator Prakash Gangadhare in the civic general body meeting on Friday to start NaMo tea stalls across Mumbai.

In an official statement issued by Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar on Saturday, the party declared that the idea presented by Mr Gangadhare cannot be tagged as the party’s official decision.

Mr Shelar said, “It is a good idea and it will really help curb the problem of unemployment in the city. However, this is not the party’s official stand and has nothing to do with BJP.”

“The proposal has been made by Mr Gangadhare in personal capacity. The party respects the individual corporator’s thoughts, but is not associated with the proposal,” he added.

Mr Shelar said there is always a protocol involved if the Prime Minister’s name or photograph is to be used on an official or partially official venture. However, this decision was taken by the corporator without adhering to the procedure, but only in personal capacity.

Mr Shelar also said that any claims to give this proposal political colour were only attempts of the Opposition to deface the BJP.

Mumbai president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Sachin Ahir, on Saturday accused the BJP of adhering to illegal practices such as encroachment on footpaths in the name of starting tea stalls, to reach out to ‘sons of the soil’.

Improvement’s committee chairman and BJP corporator Prakash Gangadhare on Friday proposed in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) general body meeting that the civic body make enabling provisions in the law to allow NaMo tea stalls to come up on street corners in various partsof the city. The proposal was forwarded to the administration for consideration.