Lok Sabha elections: Hot political debates brew in this tea stall

ALAPPUZHA

: Ninety-year-old

AKG tea stall

at

Nagamkulangara

in Vayalar is not just famous for its delicious breakfast and tea. The shop also hosts spirited political debates during every election.


“Communist, Congress and BJP supporters come here to discuss politics over a hot cup of tea,” said Prabhakaran, who runs the shop.

Rajan Appathara

, a 71-year-old farmer, has been coming to this shop since his childhood. “I can’t even recall how many times I have voted or how many debates I have been part of,” he said. Although the stall’s name refers to late Communist leader A K Gopalan, it is actually named after Prabhakaran’s father A K Gopan, who opened the shop in late 1920s.

The neck-to-neck battle in Alappuzha constituency is the main topic of discussion for people here this time, while the debate occasionally shifts to state-level and national-level issues too. Despite the fiery war of words, the talks have never led to a physical fight, said Prabhakaran, who also jumps into these conversations once in a while.