NEW DELHI — The much-touted NaMo tea as part of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party's election campaign has come under the scanner of election commission in Uttar Pradesh. Narendra Modi, the chief minister of the western Indian state of Gujarat and the BJP's prime ministerial nominee is popularly called NaMo by his supporters. The state election office has imposed a ban on distribution of NaMo tea, maintaining that it amounts to bribery to lure voters. Acting on a complaint filed against Sandeep Malhotra, former chairman of Mohammadi municipality in Lakhimpur district of the state, and several other BJP office-bearers in the city, the state election office has written letters to all district electoral officers directing them to act against free distribution of NaMo tea for violation of model code of conduct. In a case registered at Mohammadi kotwali, the BJP office-bearers have been booked for distributing free NaMo tea to a crowd at an event where two large TV screens were also put up to telecast speeches by the party leaders. It has been alleged that no prior permission was taken for the event. — Agencies
