Ahmedabad: Escalating the war of words over Narendra Modi's humble background as a ‘chaiwala', Congress today said BJP's PM candidate, who often flaunts his past to connect with voters, was never a tea vendor but a “canteen contractor”.
Senior leader and Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel also termed Modi's much-hyped campaign ‘chai Pe Charcha' as a poll gimmick.
“This chai pe charcha is natak (gimmick) keeping in mind the elections. Tea seller associations have told us that he was never a tea-vendor but he was a canteen contractor”, Patel said without naming Modi.
He was speaking at ‘Swaraj Kuch' rally here where noted civil rights activist Lalji Desai, along with hundreds of his Maldhari community followers, joined Congress.
Accusing Modi of trying to appropriate the legacy of Sardar Patel, the Congress leader said “by making the tallest statue of Patel, he wants to make a ladder for the PM's chair”.
