When BJP&rsquo;s national president Amit Shah visits Lalbaugcha Raja today, he will be greeted by posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi selling tea named after his popular moniker, NaMo.
<img title="BJP leaders have taken objection to these hoardings, which are put up near Ganpati mandals in Lalbaug and Parel. Pics/Emmanual Karbhari" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2014/nov/NAMO-banner-1.jpg" alt="BJP leaders have taken objection to these hoardings, which are put up near Ganpati mandals in Lalbaug and Parel. Pics/Emmanual Karbhari" /> BJP leaders have taken objection to these hoardings, which are put up near Ganpati mandals in Lalbaug and Parel. Pics/Emmanual Karbhari
P M Zaveri and Company, located in Kalbadevi, has put up hoardings across the city, with heavy concentration in the Lalbaug-Parel area, which have photos of Modi, a packet of NaMo Tea, and the PM&rsquo;s famous slogan &lsquo;Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas&rsquo;. Other hoardings use different slogans coined by the PM during his Lok Sabha campaign.
<img title="The hoardings line the route to the Lalbaugcha Raja, which will be visited by BJP President Amit Shah today" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2014/nov/NAMO-banner-2.jpg" alt="The hoardings line the route to the Lalbaugcha Raja, which will be visited by BJP President Amit Shah today" /> The hoardings line the route to the Lalbaugcha Raja, which will be visited by BJP President Amit Shah today
While BJP leaders are fuming, Prakash Upadhyay, co-owner of P M Zaveri and Co, claims the move is aimed at boosting the economy and feels there is nothing wrong in using the PM&rsquo;s name and photograph to sell tea, as he is furthering Modi&rsquo;s cause. He even claims to have a licence to use the photo.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2014/nov/NAMO-banner-3.jpg" alt="" />
&ldquo;I am using the photo because I signed a contract with Take India Beyond Merchandizing Private Limited. The company, which is like an NGO, sent me the photograph that I am using on the hoardings. The contract is from February 2014 to December 2016. My tea business is going to give job opportunities to nearly 2 lakh people. It&rsquo;s more of a social cause.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He had said &lsquo;Ghar Ghar Modi&rsquo;, and we are doing just that. Through our tea, we are taking the name NaMo to every house,&rdquo; added Upadhyay. The tea will be formally launched during Navratri and will be available in stores at Rs 260 per kg (regular) and Rs 380 per kg (premium). &ldquo;Take India Beyond Merchandizing will have a share in the profits, though I cannot disclose the profit share,&rdquo; said Upadhyay, who refused to reveal the contract amount as well.
When mid-day contacted Take India Beyond Merchandizing Pvt Ltd in Ahmedabad, its representative, Nainesh Joshi, categorically denied the existence of any such contract. &ldquo;Who are we to give pictures of Narendra Modi? It&rsquo;s completely his (Modi&rsquo;s) prerogative to decide who uses his pictures. We are into social service, not business, and we don&rsquo;t make profits,&rdquo; said Joshi.
Expertspeak Legal eagles have also been left baffled by the company&rsquo;s use of the Prime Minister&rsquo;s name and said he could file a civil suit against the firm if he wanted to. Justice Suresh Hosbet (Retd), said, &ldquo;It is highly improper on anyone&rsquo;s part to use the Prime Minister&rsquo;s name to sell any product.&rdquo;
Senior Advocate Y P Singh said, &ldquo;It is unbecoming of the Prime Minister to endorse any such product, and I don&rsquo;t think he would have given his consent for such a thing. But then, it&rsquo;s only he (Modi) who can file a civil suit against the person using his photograph.&rdquo;
BJP leaders, meanwhile, are angry at the use of Modi&rsquo;s name and photo to endorse a product. A senior leader said, &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t even imagine how Shah will react when he sees the hoardings. We are headed for state elections, and these hoardings are in bad taste.&rdquo;

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Kalbadevi firm, which has put up NaMo tea hoardings, claims it has a licence to use his photo through a contract with a Gujarat NGO; says it is using PM's name to generate employment, which is a social cause

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Home / Mumbai / Mumbai News / Article / Tea brand rides on PM Narendra Modi's 'chaiwallah' roots

Tea brand rides on PM Narendra Modi's 'chaiwallah' roots

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