They say there is no such thing as a free lunch, but it looks like the Congress has been having more cups of tea than it can pay for, at least according to one chaiwala in Mumbai.

The Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) reportedly owes Rs 2 lakh to Inder Joshi, a chaiwalla who has a stall at Azad Maidan, a Mumbai Mirror report said. His stall is right behind MRCC's headquarters.

The chaiwalla, whose family moved to Mumbai from Gujarat decades ago, is the most preferred chai-wallah among party functionaries and supporters. Though he has now stopped supplying tea on credit, Joshi believes that the party will clear his dues eventually as always.

MRCC president Sanjay Nirupam confirmed to the tabloid that they had not paid him for four months due to the carelessness of one functionary. "The issue of pending payment was brought to my notice a few weeks ago. We had to pay the tea vendor Rs 4 lakh and we have already settled half the bill," he said.

According to the report, Congress is facing a cash crunch and would thus be running a "low-cost" campaign for BMC elections due next year. Hopefully, it won't affect where their daily fix of tea comes from as well!