Congress wale Ram ke pujari hain, Ram ke vyapari nahin: Jairam Ramesh in Chandigarh

Tribune News Service

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Chandigarh, May 24

In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for publicising the inauguration of Ram Temple for electoral gains, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh said: “Congress wale Ram ke pujari hain, Ram ke vyapari nahin.”

Talking to mediapersons here today, Ramesh, general secretary in charge of communications, AICC, said they were worshippers of Lord Ram and not the trader of Ram.

Will restore lost glory of city

Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh said the city had lost its sheen and past glory in 10 years of the BJP’s misrule. Congress candidate Manish Tiwari is in consultation with the civil society activists, residents’ welfare associations and experts to draw a road map to restore the city’s glory.

In view of the recent controversy surrounding mayoral elections in Chandigarh, he announced that once the INDIA bloc forms the government, the mayoral elections in all major cities, including Chandigarh, will be held directly and the mayors will be elected for a five-year term.

A Mayor elected by 7 lakh voters of the city can exercise his strong authority to work for the welfare and developmental projects of the city, which are sometimes halted by the outdated governance model of the city and complicated web of laws, he said.

In Chandigarh, he said, the INDIA bloc will encourage the IT-based industry. While the alliance will ensure due progress and development, it will not be done at the cost of the environment, he added.

He said if they came to power after June 4, many national as well as multinational IT companies would be invited to set up businesses here, so that the youth of Chandigarh and nearby states are able to get employment near their home. He said he could see no reason why Chandigarh couldn’t be developed as an IT hub.

The senior Congress leader said the city had lost its sheen and past glory in 10 years of the BJP’s misrule. Manish Tiwari, Congress candidate for the city Lok Sabha seat, is in consultation with the civil society activists, residents’ welfare associations and experts to draw a road map to restore the glory of the city.

He said the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) was headed for a clear and decisive mandate.

Trends from the first two phases had established that the INDIA bloc was set to form the government at the Centre, he said, pointing out that Modi’s language changed since April 19 and he started communalising his election strategy turning everything into a Hindu-Muslim issue.

He said history was repeating itself after 20 years. Like the Congress-led alliance stormed to power then, it will emerge winner this time also.

With regard to picking Prime Minister, he said once the INDIA bloc got majority, the Prime Minister would be decided within days. He said in 2004, it took three days to decide on the name of Dr Manmohan Singh and this time, it may take even less than that. The Prime Minister will be appointed for a full five-year term.

The Congress general secretary reiterated that the party was fighting the elections to save the Constitution and democracy. He pointed out how the BJP committed the murder of democracy in Chandigarh on January 30 by fraudulently making its candidate win the mayoral elections.

Speaking about Kisan Nyaya guarantee to the farmers, he stated that when India Bloc government took over in Delhi, legal guarantee of MSP would be given and bank loans of farmers waived.

He said the INDIA bloc was set to get a clear and decisive mandate on June 4. On coming to power, they would conduct caste and social census and give reservation to SCs/STs and OBCs on the basis of their population.

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