Amritsar: Former IAS officer Jagmohan Singh Raju, who spent 35 years of his service in Tamil Nadu, is now the BJP candidate from Amritsar East assembly constituency. He is set to make his electoral debut against two heavyweights – Punjab State Congress Committee President Navjot Singh Sidhu and former Akali minister Bikram Singh Majithia. He believes that his strength lies in his past experience and the BJP’s reach to the central government.
Raju, a former additional chief secretary of Tamil Nadu who hails from Hoshiarpur district, believes his experience as a bureaucrat will help make Amritsar one of the top cities in India. TOI questioned Raju about his strength, political vision and strategy to take on political stalwarts like Sidhu and Majithia.
You are called a parachute candidate which has nothing to do with Amritsar. What do you say?
I am new to this area, but BJP is an old party and Amritsar is a stronghold of BJP. Today Amritsar is looking for a clean, talented and efficient representative who can work for the city and be on the right side of the law and not the one who is desired by the law. The people here don’t want there to be someone who should be ashamed of saying that he is their MLA, or is out on bail or even an entertainer.
Sidhu is a well-known face here. He has been representing the city for a decade and a half. Majithia who is also a famous name in Punjab politics. How will you compete with them?
Undoubtedly Navjot Singh Sidhu has been representing the city for 15 years, including 10 years as an MP. In five years as MLA, he was a minister for three years and also took charge of local bodies. Still, look at Amritsar on the parameters of the Sustainable Development Goals: the city is one of the country’s poorest, be it sanitation, health, economic activities or infrastructure. Looks like Amritsar village. This has happened when the city is being represented by the so called dominant people. I know how the city is developed. Regarding Majithia, I would say don’t shame Amritsar as Amritsar is a holy city of Sikhs, don’t embarrass and humiliate us by saying that the person who is out on bail for drug peddling is representative of Amritsar.
What is your strength and why should the people of Amritsar East vote for you?
These Akali and Congress MLAs cannot even get their passports made; They don’t have that capability, they don’t have any benefit with the Indian government and they can’t even get 1 rupee from the government of India (government of India). I am the main candidate of BJP, I have been brought here by them. By 2024, the central government is accessible to me and I will be able to bring every possible plan here if Amritsar gives me an opportunity where my competitors can’t get a single penny because they don’t have access to anyone. For me, it is development and only development and people will vote for development.
What is your vision for Amritsar?
Amritsar Pind Lagda Hai, Gandiya Sarkar (Amritsar looks like village, roads are dirty). We need to transform the city and bring it at par with the top ten cities of the country. I will not say that I will make it number 1, but in the next five-ten years, Amritsar will be in the list of first five cities in India. And how it will be done, I know – by getting all possible funding from the Government of India and from international, multinational agencies, the World Bank and the IMF. I have worked in these organizations. We know how to bring about development in a city.
Raju, a former additional chief secretary of Tamil Nadu who hails from Hoshiarpur district, believes his experience as a bureaucrat will help make Amritsar one of the top cities in India. TOI questioned Raju about his strength, political vision and strategy to take on political stalwarts like Sidhu and Majithia.
You are called a parachute candidate which has nothing to do with Amritsar. What do you say?
I am new to this area, but BJP is an old party and Amritsar is a stronghold of BJP. Today Amritsar is looking for a clean, talented and efficient representative who can work for the city and be on the right side of the law and not the one who is desired by the law. The people here don’t want there to be someone who should be ashamed of saying that he is their MLA, or is out on bail or even an entertainer.
Sidhu is a well-known face here. He has been representing the city for a decade and a half. Majithia who is also a famous name in Punjab politics. How will you compete with them?
Undoubtedly Navjot Singh Sidhu has been representing the city for 15 years, including 10 years as an MP. In five years as MLA, he was a minister for three years and also took charge of local bodies. Still, look at Amritsar on the parameters of the Sustainable Development Goals: the city is one of the country’s poorest, be it sanitation, health, economic activities or infrastructure. Looks like Amritsar village. This has happened when the city is being represented by the so called dominant people. I know how the city is developed. Regarding Majithia, I would say don’t shame Amritsar as Amritsar is a holy city of Sikhs, don’t embarrass and humiliate us by saying that the person who is out on bail for drug peddling is representative of Amritsar.
What is your strength and why should the people of Amritsar East vote for you?
These Akali and Congress MLAs cannot even get their passports made; They don’t have that capability, they don’t have any benefit with the Indian government and they can’t even get 1 rupee from the government of India (government of India). I am the main candidate of BJP, I have been brought here by them. By 2024, the central government is accessible to me and I will be able to bring every possible plan here if Amritsar gives me an opportunity where my competitors can’t get a single penny because they don’t have access to anyone. For me, it is development and only development and people will vote for development.
What is your vision for Amritsar?
Amritsar Pind Lagda Hai, Gandiya Sarkar (Amritsar looks like village, roads are dirty). We need to transform the city and bring it at par with the top ten cities of the country. I will not say that I will make it number 1, but in the next five-ten years, Amritsar will be in the list of first five cities in India. And how it will be done, I know – by getting all possible funding from the Government of India and from international, multinational agencies, the World Bank and the IMF. I have worked in these organizations. We know how to bring about development in a city.
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