Raj Kumar Verka sees no threat from his rival parties

Tribune News Service

PK Jaiswar

Amritsar, February 7

Brimming with confidence of winning the seat yet again, Raj Kumar Verka starts his day with holding meetings with supporters and people who come with their complaints of unfinished development works or police inaction on a complaint.

He obliges them by deputing his staff to follow up and talks personally to the official or contractor concerned, if need be. He also holds meetings with his supporters and plans for the day-long programmes.

Adorning red tilak, he starts campaigning in the afternoon as per the schedule prepared by his staff. Before embarking on a campaign, he prays before god for the success.

“Amritsar West Constituency strongly remained a Congress seat, while the rival SAD and BJP never won from here. The CPI is another party which had its base, nevertheless, during the last three Assembly elections, people voted for the Congress,” Verka pointed out.

When asked whether he sees any threat in AAP, which has been gaining strength, he said there was no threat from it. “I have no contest with them. They are only fighting for the second spot,” he said.

On Monday, he first visited the Khandwala area, where he included an AAP leader into the party fold. Speaking there, he sought support in the name of development works carried out in the constituency during the last one decade.

“Governments schools and the only satellite hospital in the constituency have been upgraded, roads carpeted and new sewerage pipelines laid during my tenure,” he said.

“During the pandemic, which was an unprecedented health crisis, my team and I provided relief work to the needy persons and families,” he said.

The Chheharta Focal Point and Putlighar area remained the industrial belt of the holy city. However, during heydays of terrorism, coupled with ill-conceived government policies, a majority of industrial units were uprooted. When asked about this, the sitting MLA and former vice-chairman of National SC Commission said for the revival of industry in Punjab, a package from Central Government was needed, who unfortunately remained indifferent towards it.

“On our part, the Punjab Government decreased the power rates, waived off pending VAT amounts and did several other things. After coming to power again, the Congress government will make efforts to revive industrial hubs in Amritsar,” he said.

On drugs, he said the menace raised its ugly head during the SAD-BJP government who allegedly sheltered drug peddlers. The Congress government curtailed the rampant drug peddling by putting peddlers behind the bar. We also nailed criminal gangs and notorious gangsters in the last five years, he said.

In the evening, he held a meeting with people in the Kot Khalsa area.

Raj Kumar Verka is contesting from West constituency for the third time. Earlier, he won from the Verka constituency in 2002, which was later rechristened as Amritsar East. He shifted his base to Amritsar West after it was declared reserved in 2012.

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