Will pitch for Punjab’s share of funds in Parliament: AAP Patiala candidate Balbir Singh

The Tribune interview: Balbir Singh, AAP

Pitted against political heavyweights Preneet Kaur and Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, Cabinet Minister and AAP pick Dr Balbir Singh’s campaign has gathered steam and he is holding nukkad meetings in villages and visiting grain markets to meet voters. Interacting with Mohit Khanna, Dr Balbir said he was also talking to voters about issues that had hit the national headlines recently, including “electoral bonds, government highhandedness in the arrest of AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal and farmers being prevented from entering Delhi”. The excerpts:

What is your road map for development?

My vision for Patiala closely aligns with my vision for Punjab. I will be the voice of employees, farmers, labourers, transporters and youth in Parliament. I will speak on the issue of stopping the NHM funds and mandi fee by the Central Government.

You have spoken about removing toll plazas from national highways. Will it not affect quality of roads?

To me, this toll is only “gunda tax”. Truck drivers have told me that when they ferry goods to Mumbai or Guwahati, they pay around Rs 15,000 as toll. They suffer because they are paying huge costs. In Samana, there used to be 1,500 trucks but now the number has declined to mere 400.

How important it is to improve rail connectivity?

Influenced by vested interests, particularly the transport mafia, previous governments neglected developing the rail routes. Improving rail connectivity will hold key to bringing in more investment to Patiala.