RSS active in Chandigarh sign of panic in BJP: Congress candidate Manish Tewari

Chandigarh, May 22

Manish Tewari today asked his BJP rival Sanjay Tandon whether he and his party have any manifesto or any promise to offer to the people of Chandigarh. He also questioned the BJP candidate about the party manifestos of 2014 and 2019 for the city, which largely remained unimplemented.

Addressing a public meeting here today, Tewari said, “Now is the time that the BJP brings out those manifestos and list what promises it has fulfilled.” As he (Tandon) headed the city BJP most of the time in the past 10 years, he owes an explanation to the people of the city, said Tewari.

In an informal interaction with reporters, he said, the reports of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh having got active in the city was a sign of the panic in the BJP camp. Replying to a question that the RSS had decided to get actively involved in Tandon’s campaign, Tewari remarked, “Not just the RSS, Mr Tandon may need the entire Sangh Parivar that goes beyond the RSS to come to Chandigarh and work for him, but let me assure you, we will still win.”

The Congress candidate said since Tandon had already run away from the debate, he could still make his party’s achievements public, if it really had any. It was a “four-engine” administration in Chandigarh between 2014 and 2019, during which the Prime Minister, Home Minister, UT administrator, city MP and Mayor were from the BJP.

“If the BJP is still hesitant to produce its balance sheet, it means it has nothing to its credit,” he said.

Tewari also took a jibe at Tandon for saying that a vote for him was a vote for Modi.

“Would Modi become the Chandigarh MP or the Chandigarh Mayor?” he asked, adding “or will he set up a local office here to address the people’s problems as the past experience suggests that the local BJP MPs have been absolute disappointments?”

Tewari said when someone sought votes in someone else’s name, it meant he had nothing of his own to his credit. Tewari took out “padyatras” in Mani Majra, Sector 38 and Sector 25. He said immediately after the elections, he would set a deadline for all issues to be resolved in a time-bound manner.