With an eye on backward vote bank BJP national president Amit Shah had a simple lunch with a booth level party worker Sonu Yadav on Sunday and had an interaction with the family members of the party worker.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath along with his deputies Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dr Dinesh Sharma went to Bari Jugauli village in Gomti Nagar to have the lunch. BJP vice president Om Mathur, state minister Brajesh Pathak and state BJP general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal were among others who accompanied Shah to the lunch.

It is a routine for Shah to have lunch at the residence of one of the party worker during his visit to state capitals. While in Uttar Pradesh he chose Yadav’s house – a caste which goes synonymous with Samajwadi Party. The selection was made last minute and at around 9 am Sonu Yadav was told that people Amit Shah and CM would be having lunch at his home.

“We did not have time to spruce up the house. Our first priority was to ensure lunch is made available by 1 pm. I arranged for two gas oven and my mother, wife and sister-in law immediately started cooking. We even did not have time to think about special menu. So we cooked what was easily available at home,” Yadav told The Pioneer.

He said that we are honoured to serve lunch to Shahi ji, senior party leaders and Chief Minister at our residence.

The food served was simple. It comprised two dals – urad and arhar, two vegetables – aloo parwal and bhindi ki bhurji, matar paneer and chaach (butter milk).      

Shah sat on the ground to had his lunch with Yogi Adityanath on his one side and Keshav Prasad Maurya on his other. The lunch was offered on traditional ‘pattal’  and earthen glass (kulhar) while the family members along with Sonu themselves served the food.

“We never felt that Yogi ji or Shah sahib were coming to our house for the first time. They made us feel easy. Keshav Prasad Maurya even came to our kitchen to tell my mother not to get nervous. They will wait even if lunch gets late,” Yadav said. “Shah sir spoke to my children while Yogi ji picked up my daughter for almost five minutes,” he said.

Sonu Yadav has a daughter and a son.

Shah also met the family members of Sonu Yadav including his mother and thanked them for the delicious food. The chaach was very good, Shah told Sonu’s mother.

This is for the first time Shah had lunch at a backward’s house during his stay in lucknow. On his last visit on August 13 last year Amit Shah had lunch at the residence of BJP’s dalit MP from Mohanlalganj seat.