Rudy lauds Kirron’s Smart efforts

CHANDIGARH:With BJP leaders fighting it out for claiming credit for the inclusion of Chandigarh’s name in the list of cities to be developed as smart cities, Union Minister of State for Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy today gave the credit for it to city MP Kirron Kher.

Union Minister of State for Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy (centre) during a meeting with party workers at the Punjab BJP Bhawan in Sector 37 on Friday. MP Kirron Kher, city BJP president Sanjay Tandon, Minister of State for Steel and Mines Vishnu Deo Sai (second from right), Punjab BJP organising secretary Dinesh Kumar and Mayor Arun Sood are also seen. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 27

With BJP leaders fighting it out for claiming credit for the inclusion of Chandigarh’s name in the list of cities to be developed as smart cities, Union Minister of State for Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy today gave the credit for it to city MP Kirron Kher.

Rudy, who was addressing a press conference at a hotel in the Industrial Area, Phase II, on the completion of two years of the BJP-led NDA government, said it was because of the sincere efforts put in by MP Kirron Kher that Chandigarh was able to enter the list of 13 more cities to be developed as smart cities.

Earlier, Chandigarh had missed the list of the first 20 smart cities in January. However, on May 24, the City Beautiful entered the Smart City Mission with the Centre announcing the name of the UT among 13 more cities to be developed as smart cities.

Rudy said earlier the city missed the list due to “some reasons”. However, this time MP Kirron Kher visited various ministries to push Chandigarh’s case.

Kirron was present at the press conference when Rudy was giving credit to her. City BJP president Sanjay Tandon, former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Harmohan Dhawan and Mayor Arun Sood were also present on the occasion.

At present, the Chandigarh unit of the BJP is divided in four camps — that of party president Sanjay Tandon, MP Kirron Kher, former MP Satya Pal Jain and former Union Minister Harmohan Dhawan. On every occasion, these leaders and their supporters try to take credit for the “achievements of the City Beautiful”.

Earlier in the day, union ministers Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Vishnu Deo Sai, BJP national secretary RP Singh, Punjab BJP organising secretary Dinesh Sharma, MP Kirron Kher, Chandigarh BJP president Sanjay Tandon and city Mayor Arun Sood highlighted the achievements of the NDA government at a function in the Punjab BJP office in Sector 37.

GST Bill in monsoon session of Parliament

Rudy said the government was serious about economic policies and had been trying to increase the GDP.

To increase the GDP, he stressed the need for passing the GST Bill and said the Congress did not want the bill to be passed because it would be another achievement of the government.

The minister said that the government would try to pass the Constitution Amendment Bill for implementing the goods and services tax in the monsoon session of Parliament.