NOIDA: Police and administration officers were caught by surprise as 700 meals wrapped in saffron-coloured packets with ‘Namo’ written on them landed up at the polling station at Sector 15A in Gautam Buddh Nagar’s Noida constituency. “NaMo” are widely-recognised Hindi initials of PM Narendra Modi, previously seen on BJP merchandise and recently as the name of a TV channel.
“Some people are spreading politically motivated rumours,” said Gautam Buddh Nagar’s Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Krishna in a statement to the media. “Food packets were procured from the Namo food outlet at a local level for the distribution of food to the forces deployed on poll duty and the name is “coincidental” and nothing else,” he said. “I have also officially tweeted this information that it has nothing to do with any political party,” he clarified.
BN Singh, District Magistrate, Gautam Buddh Nagar echoed the police chief’s statement. “The restaurant is an established outlet in Noida and the name is just coincidental,” he said. “Food for forces deployed in poll duty is ordered police station wise and as per convenience. It has not been motivated by any political party. It is not a violation of the code of conduct in any way and was not done with any malafide intention,” Singh said.
Namo Foods has five outlets in the city including Sector 1, 2, 16, 18 and 63. “We received the order for 750 food thalis from the Sector 20 police station,” said Sunil Anand, manager of the eatery. “Namo is a Sanskrit word meaning welcome and that is why it was kept for the eatery. The food packets had nothing to do with any political party,” he further explained.