BJP to meet two crore voters over cups of tea

The chai pe charcha campaign, will be inuagurated on February 12, 2014 by Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad and will take place simultaneously at 1,000 locations across 300 cities.

In this January 26, 2014 photo, BJP supporters serve “Modi Tea” in Bhopal as part of the party’s campaign for the 2014 general elections. Photo: A.M. Faruqui

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hopes to reach out to two crore people over cups of tea at roadside stalls. The ambitious “Chai Pe Charcha” (conversation over tea) campaign will be initiated on February 12 by the party’s prime ministerial nominee, Narendra Modi, in Ahmedabad and will take place simultaneously in 1,000 locations across 300 cities.

“We are always looking for ways to supplement our ways of reaching out to people and this idea will allow us to share, ask and suggest. The whole exercise is an amalgamation of five technologies — DTH, Internet, satellite, mobile phones and social media,” said Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj here on Tuesday.

To be held in five-day intervals, the campaign will be addressed by Mr. Modi and senior leaders of the BJP. In some places, the meetings will be addressed either by Mr. Modi or by senior party leaders or both, she said. The

Chai Pe Charcha campaign has been designed for a wider outreach, and each meeting will be based on a theme. The first such meeting on February 12, for instance, will be on good governance.

“For the first 30 minutes, the leaders will put forth their views; then, there will be an hour-and-a-half of question-and-answer session. People can share thoughts, ask questions or make suggestions during the interactions,” she said.

A special song and a video have been produced to popularise the event.