Ahmedabad:
Zubair Shaikh's 'Best tea stall' has recently been re-branded as a NaMo tea stall, one of hundreds in the Gujarat capital as the BJP preps for its "chai pe charcha" or "discussion over tea" campaign, designed to highlight the modest origins of its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Of the many participating tea stalls, none has captured as much attention as Zubair's. Because of its location and a man known to frequent it.
The tea stall is barely three kilometres away from Naroda Patiya, where 97 Muslims were killed in about 10 hours of rioting on 28 February 2002. Even areas in the immediate proximity of the tea stall had witnessed large-scale rioting and arson.
Among those often seen at the stall is a 38-year-old tailor Qutubudin Ansari, whose terrified face and hands folded in a plea for mercy in a photograph from that day 10 years ago became emblematic of the communal riots that lacerated the state.
Political rivals have for years accused chief minister Narendra Modi of not doing enough to prevent 2002 riots, in which hundreds of Muslims were killed. Mr Modi has been cleared of the charge of complicity in the violence by a Supreme Court investigation.
But a former member of Mr Modi's cabinet, Maya Kodnani, has been convicted for the Naroda Patiya massacre. Once known to be close to Mr Modi, Ms Kodnani was identified by the court that sentenced her to 28 years in prison last year, as the "kingpin" of the rioting who "led the mob and incited them for violence."
Zubair, who has raised eyebrows with his consent to being part of Mr Modi's campaign, says he believes it is time to move on. "For how long can we go on with what has happened in the past... we need to move on. I don't think there is anything wrong in putting up the hoarding... it also advertises my tea stall,'' he said.
Zubair's pragmatic view on good commerce is not shared by some others.
"Why only just one Muslim tea stall in the area which has been chosen for the hoarding? There are several of them in the area. Why not them? It's clearly a political gimmick trying to send a political message for votes,'' said Kalim Siddique, a resident of Naroda Patiya.
Some others claim that a hoarding of the Gujarat chief minister in the area was cleared out by angry residents. "This is just publicity for his political gains. First he was not bothered about us and now with votes on the mind he is doing such things,'' said another resident, Imtiyaz.