With no 'mitro', PM Modi denied discounted drink to party animals

NEW YEAR: Party animals, eagerly waiting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to utter "mitro" for their near free drink at a pub here, offered a mixed reaction to his New Year's eve address. Pub chain Social on Saturday had offered beer at Rs 31 - an over 200 per cent discount - once Modi says "mitro", a commonly used phrase in his speeches addressing the fellow countrymen as friends. However, Modi disappointed his audience awaiting celebrations and said "mitra" instead and only twice. But the Prime Minister made them all listen attentively to his 45-minute pre-recorded speech from the beginning to end. "He is clever, must be knowing that people out there are making fun on some of the phrase like 'bhaiyo aur behno' and 'mitro', so he had them omitted," said Karan, a techie sipping his drink and praising Modi "no matter what". Diksha Sukhija, a manager at Social, said the offer of discount on drinks was not trolling but their own special way of celebrating demonestisation. "We have had such an event before when on the day demonetisation we had five shots for Rs 500 and 10 shots for Rs 1,000, in old currency till midnight. That was bought out!" Meanwhile, the crowd, with beer mugs or cocktails in hand had varied opinions. "I think what he is doing is great. Country needs someone strong. At least, he is making a point and it requires guts. The nation would do better only once everyone pays tax," said Gautam, a banker who prefered Social at Hauz Khas to ring in the New Year. Another "not so much fan" of Modi said she was rather disappointed because she wanted to hear the Prime Minister say something about demonetisation which he didn't. "He didn't even utter demonestisation once, not to say he skipped 'mitro' as well," said Pragati. Another disappointed person said he expected more and the speech was not as marketed. "For us, it was not grand enough to grand. We needed to hear more substantial," Jai, who works with a think tank, said. Bad or good of Modi speech but Social did well. "Over 600 tickets for the New Year bash had been sold out at Hauz Khas alone," said Sukhija.