In 2014, then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi launched a ‘Chai pe Charcha (chat over tea) to connect with voters after Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar referred to him as “chaiwallah”. While Modi did become Prime Minister, all the tall promises he made during that campaign -- on jobs, price rise, corruption – lie composted among tonnes of sieved tea leaves after nine years of his rule.
Now, the UP CM, Yogi Adityanath, is following the same trajectory, and has launched a “Tiffin pe Charcha” campaign. But what will BJP offer in the tiffins – joblessness, price rise and corruption – even as real, nutritious meals are still a pipedream for most Indians? Why, pray, are 80% people, still being provided subsidised foodgrain in Amrit Kaal by a country led by a PM who aspires to be a ‘Vishwaguru’.