If elected, will provide job opportunities: Divyanshu Budhiraja

Congress has fielded Punjabi face and Youth Congress president Divyanshu Budhiraja (31) against former CM Manohar Lal Khattar (70), who also belongs to Punjabi community. Budhiraja has served as president of the Students’ Council of Panjab University in 2014-15, and subsequently, held the position of NSUI state president from 2017 to 2021. He has been the state Youth Congress president from 2021 and is considered close to a former CM, Bhupinder Singh Hooda. He was chosen over stalwarts Virender Rathore, Virender Shah, alias Bulle Shah, Chanakya Pandit and others. In an interview with Parveen Arora, Budhiraja speaks on various issues, including priorities and challenges. Excerpts:

I raised the issue of unemployment, but the government did not respond. An FIR was registered against me under Section 174, CrPC. I was informed about the case only after the party announced my candidature. I have approached the high court against the FIR.

What are your priorities if elected?

Unemployment is a big issue across the country, against which I have been protesting for the past seven years. I have been booked in different cases as I was seeking a reply from former CM Manohar Lal Khattar regarding unemployment. I will try to eradicate unemployment and set up projects to provide job opportunities.

The BJP announced its candidate over a month ago, but your candidature was announced a couple of days before the filing of nomination. Will the delay impact you?

The party has declared the names of candidates at a suitable time and we have sufficient time to campaign. We will win with a huge margin. The Congress will also win the Karnal Assembly byelection seat.

The BJP has a well-organised party structure, but the Congress does not have organisational structure at the district and block level. Does the BJP have the upper hand?

I don’t think so. We have a large number of dedicated party workers and leaders. Every worker and leader will be more effective than the “panna pramukh” and other organisational structures of the BJP. Resentment prevails among BJP leaders and workers, who have voiced it openly.

You are a proclaimed offender in a case. Why didn’t you appear in court?

I raised the issue of unemployment in the state, but the government did not respond. An FIR was registered against me under Section 174, CrPC. I was informed about the case only after the party announced my candidature. I have already approached the high court against the FIR.

The BJP and other parties are raising the issue of ‘outsider’. How will you counter it?

I am not an outsider. I have been living among people of my constituency. My family has been living in Panipat for the past four-five years. Khattar is an outsider. He belongs to Rohtak.

How do you see the tenure of Khattar, who is contesting against you?

Former CM Khattar did nothing for Karnal in the past over nine years. He did nothing about unemployment and inflation. He failed on every front and could not address the issues related to farmers, traders, labourers and other sections of society.

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