It’s time Gurugram’s civic bodies made more accountable: Babbar
Actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar, 71, is a t wo-time Lok Sabha member and three-time Rajya Sabha member. This time around, he has been named the Congress’s candidate from Gurgaon for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. On the sidelines of his campaign, Babbar spoke to HT’s Abhishek Behl on the response from the electorate and how he plans to shed the tag of being an “outsider”.
Edited excerpts:
Why should people of Gurugram elect you as their MP?
The people of Gurugram need change, a political representative who is accessible to all and within their reach all the time. In the past 10 years, there has been no development and civic condition is bad across the region, despite having the so-called double-engine government of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). If the people of Gurugram choose me, I will stay in the city instead of putting up in Delhi and work for the people, which has not happened in the past. It is time GMDA, HSVP and MCG were made more accountable to people. Gurugram today wants an MP who identifies with the common man and is not royalty. Opposing candidates, including from the BJP, are alleging that an outsider has been roped in by
the Congress as there was no local candidate...
Political parties will always level such allegations and this is part of their job. I want to assure the people of Gurugram that I have come here to stay for long and will settle here. You can ask the people of Agra and Firozabad — from where I was an MP in the past — whether I have served them or not.
I even helped them during the Covid-19 pandemic and even now, I am accessible to them as I have built permanent relation
ships..
What are the main problems that you plan to address?
Gurgaon is a large Lok Sabha constituency with three distinct regions of Gurugram, Rewari and Mewat. In Gurugram, civic and development agencies failed to deliver. The MCG, despite having a big budget, is not working properly and the entire city has problems of poor sanitation, waste burning and garbage disposal. Not even a single kilometre of Metro line was extended in the past 10 years. Local bus stops and Civil Hospital are in poor shape. In Mewat, the promised railway line and canal water have not been supplied even after a decade. The promise of a university has not been delivered, and health care is in a shambles. Likewise, in Rewari, potable drinking water is in short supply in many areas and there is a lack of government schools. All these issues will be resolved if the Congress wins the Lok Sabha polls and the state polls of Haryana in October.
What has been the response to your campaign?
The Congress promised people that democracy and the Constitution, which have been hollowed out by successive BJP governments, will be strengthened. By seeking 400 seats, the BJP has caused apprehension that there could be fundamental changes to how the Indian democracy works. We have opposed such moves and our poll message has gone down well with the people of Gurugram. There is strong disenchantment among both rural and urban voters as Indians are basically democratic. We also assured income to farmers, guaranteed MSP, loan waivers and support for crop loss. Senior citizen stipends will be increased, government jobs will be filled and the atmosphere of injustice against the farming community will end.
Election Interview