Pappu Tea Stall's Wishwanath Singh roots for Narendra Modi in Banaras

VARANASI: Perhaps the most frequented spot in old Varanasi city after Kashi Vishwanath temple, this humble tea corner is known variously among the locals as Pappu ki Chai, Pappu ki Adhi or Pappu Tea Stall. Writers, artists, politicians, advocates , film stars and informed tourists gather here every evening for long hours over several rounds of tea and piping hot discussions. This corner was a natural choice for the BJP when it launched its nationwide chai-pe-charcha (discussion over tea) campaign to promote its PM nominee Narendra Modi. However, the idea did not go down well among the stall’s old patrons, who had socialist or pluralist leanings . The old-timers rued the fact that once a hub for more tolerant views, the corner had fallen prey to electoral politics — BJP in general and Modi in particular. “The character has changed completely since 1991,” says Kashinath Singh, a Hindi writer and Sahitya Academy Award winner whose book Kashi Ka Assi talks about the tea stall in great detail. “There is little tolerance among the participants at the stall now and many of us have stopped visiting the place,” he says, adding the framework of an argument here is based on emotions and belief more than facts or logic. The shop owner, Wishwanath Singh, aka Pappu, is a case in point. “Vote toh Modi ko dena hi dena hai (my vote has to go to Modi and none else),” says Singh, who took over the shop from his father in 1975 and whose preparations brought him popularity and recognition locally. “When my name first appeared in the voters list, I voted for the Communist Party of India candidate Satya Narain Singh in 1967; he won the seat too.” “From George Fernandes, Anil & Sunil Shashtri to Devbrat Majumdar, Ram Vachan Pandey, Kalraj Mishr and Lalmuni Chaubey, whenever they are in Varanasi, have visited my stall.”