Times of Chandigarh
CHANDIGARH: Senior BJP leader Satyapal Jain defends his high-profile clients like the prime ministerial hopeful of the party LK Advani in the Babri Mosque demolition case as comfortably as he demolishes his opponents with his gift of the gab.
Probably one of the best lawyers around of election petitions, Jain takes pride in his humble beginning as a newspaper hawker who went on to graduate to become a robust youth leader during the emergency. He spent a full term in jail during the emergency. A man of lofty ideas, Jain however has many enemies within the party.
Jain is this time riding the election on a winning note he set off in Himachal when he brought the party to power in the recent assembly elections. The BJP leader, who has had proximity with former Union minister Sushma Swaraj, is gearing up to give Union minister Pawan Kumar Bansal a good fight.
Congress party’s failure to make any concrete policy envisioning the problems of the future for the city and its residents, like houses, price hike, public participation in decision-making, lack of proper infrastructure and tussle between the administrator and Member of Parliament (MP) would be a few prominent issues among the several which BJP is going to raise before the public during its campaigns.
Former MP and senior leader of the BJP Satya Pal Jain, who is contesting from the city for the fifth time and got victory twice, is not only believing that BJP would clinch the parliamentary seat of the city, but he has full faith that NDA would return to power after a gap of five years.
In an exclusive talk with TOI, Jain blamed Bansal for ignoring the city. Jain is the only candidate who favours a Vidhan Sabha for the Union Territory to push development and governance on a faster trajectory.
‘A vision for the city is necessary. Population of the city is increasing, but nothing has been done in this regard at all. If I come to the power, a concrete plan would be formed, keeping the future of the city in mind, so that problems of residence, education, health, sanitation and infrastructure could be sorted out,’ he said.
‘Neither home minister nor administrator has been calling meetings of the advisory committee. Thus, public participation in decision-making has vanished. I assure that if BJP comes to power in the city, the concept of public participation in decision-making would flourish. Separate committees and groups would be formed in this regard,’ he added.
He further said that for the development of the city, they would form inter-state development council with the help and involvement of the neighbouring states Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, especially for constitution of electricity power plant, policies of youth development, to deal with power and water crisis etc. He further said the land acquisition rates would then be determined on the pattern of Punjab government. ...
