This chaiwala brews poll storm in teacup

Ludhiana: This chaiwala is offering a polli-tea-cal cup.
Ram Shankar, 35, who runs a tea vend on Gill Road is keen to contest the Lok Sabha elections. Ask him his inspiration and pat comes the reply, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.

Drawing a parallel between the PM and him, he says, “Modi too worked at a tea vend in Vadodra railway station. If the mandate of people can help him rise from a chaiwala to the Prime Minister of the country, then they can also give me a chance to serve as the Member of Parliament from Ludhiana.”

Shankar will contest as an independent candidate. “People are fed up with the Congress and the BJP. They want a change. With not many options available, I will offer an alternative.”

So, what’s on his manifesto. “I do not have a manifesto. Like other politicians, I will not make tall promises to win elections because these are hardly kept. Rather, I will start working for people the day I am elected. I will start with solving the basic problems troubling Ludhianvis,” he says.

His campaign plan, too, is simple. “I do not have money for big posters, banners and hoardings. Along with my tea, I serve my customers a request to vote for me. Besides, some youngsters are helping me woo voters online.”

Shankar had made the industrial hub his home around 12 years ago. After working in a factory for four years, he started selling tea. “The first six months were difficult. It was a life of penury. And then I came up with an idea. I installed a board on my vend that said ‘Bevakuf Chaiwala’. This brought curious customers to my vend and my business took off,” he adds.

Before signing off, he says he shares another similarity with the PM. “I don’t have a married life. And so, all my efforts will be directed towards public welfare.”