Amit Shah has lunch at BJP worker's house, interacts with family

Amid frenzied drum beats and a shower of flower petals, BJP President Amit Shah on Wednesday visited a party activist's house here for lunch and interacted with his family.

On the final day of his three-day tour of the city, Shah, accompanied by other national and state Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, reached the house of Manas Sen on Lock Gate Road in north Kolkata's Cossipore.

Hundreds of BJP activists and other curious onlookers gathered outside 46 HR Lock Gate Road since morning to have a glimpse of their leader, who is making all efforts to connect with the grassroots level of the party in Bengal where the BJP is planning to make fast inroads.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Shah ate rice, dal, potato and parwal fries, vegetables, papaya chutney, salad and sweets on an earthen plate with state BJP president Dilip Ghosh by his side. The party's national General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and national Secretary Rahul Sinha were also present.

Visibly ecstatic about the BJP chief's visit, Sen's family members said they were happy that Shah liked the arrangements and thanked him for listening to their woes.

The family are old supporters of the BJP.

"He liked the food. We arranged a complete Bengali platter for him. He tried all the dishes. We are very happy and honoured by his visit," said Sen's elder sister, who cooked the food along with other women in the house.

Sen, who works in the sales department of a private retail store, said Shah inquired about the party's local infrastructure and asked him to get in touch with the party leadership in case of any problems.

"He asked me about the party's local infrastructure and how it is functioning in the area. I told him it is improving in spite of the obstacles. I am sure the enthusiasm among the local BJP supporters would increase after his visit," he claimed.

During his last visit to the state, Shah had lunch in the house of a Dalit couple in north Bengal's Naxalbari and also visited the residence of a sugarcane seller in Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee's constituency in South Kolkata's Bhawanipore.

--IANS

mgr/vd/bg