New Delhi: RTI reply states no official record of PM selling tea

New Delhi: A recent Right to Information query response by the Railways states that it does not have any official record of current PM Narendra Modi selling tea during his childhood which reportedly contradicts with PM Modi’s recent statement addressing rallies in poll-bound Gujarat where he mentioned he was a ‘chaiwala’.

Tehseen Poonawala, a “very vocal Congress supporter” had filed the query under the RTI asking for any records which would ascertain the fact that Modi did sell tea in trains and on railway stations.

The RTI reply said, “No such information is available in TG-III Branch of Tourism and Catering Directorate of the Railway Board.”
Earlier Poonawala had issued a statement demanding the RTI reply, but according to the Public relations personnel the RTI reply was issued to him way long back in August 2014 and he did had the reply which was dated August 20, 2014.
Referring to Poonawala, the personnel said, “There is nothing much (to read into it). He was not using it and first time, he is using it now.”

He added that, “Make no mistake, in a democracy a common man rising to become PM is something all of us should be proud of but if Modi was selling tea at railway station or on trains, then the Railway Board will certainly have such information. How is it possible that the Railway Ministry and Railway Board, which is working under Modi, has no information regarding the prime minister’s biggest claim that he was selling tea in childhood, which was his main election plank.”