'Rahul milk' to counter 'Modi chai'

Despite Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s ‘tea seller’ jibe at BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, the party appears to have taken a leaf out of the “Modi chai” (Modi tea) campaign and has launched its own version.

The Congress launched what its leaders termed ‘Rahul milk’ campaign. The ‘milk campaign’ was on full display at Gorakhpur town, about 275 kilometres from here, in eastern Uttar Pradesh, where Modi had addressed a public meeting a few days back.

Congress leaders have set up milk stalls in the town from where the people are being served hot milk in glasses that carried a picture of Rahul Gandhi. Party workers have been greeting the passers by with glass full of milk to their pleasant surprise.

“Tea does not have much medicinal benefits while milk is good for health. Besides milk is an Indian drink. Tea is a foreign drink,” said Gorakhpur district Congress leaders.

Party leaders said that they planned to distribute around 50 litres of milk every day in the town from stalls set up at different localities. “We will take this campaign to the rural areas gradually,” said district Congress president Syed Jamal.

He rejected the assertion that the party was copying the BJP. “We are not copying the BJP... BJP is spoiling the health of the people by giving them tea...we aim to make the people healthy. The BJP never does anything in the interest of the people,” Jamal claimed.

Though the Samajwadi Party (SP) has not started anything similar, the party had set up several tea stalls in Gorakhpur town when party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav had addressed a rally there a few days back.

While it remains to be seen if tea or milk campaign will benefit the BJP and the Congress electorally, the common people certainly stand to benefit as they will get some hot drinks free of cost at least till the polls.