'Will check drug menace, strengthen basic amenities in area'

Charanjit Singh Teja

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Amritsar, March 26

Starting his political career from All India Rangreta Dal, a caste-based organisation for the welfare of Dalits, Dalbir Sing Tong won the Assembly election from the Baba Bakala constituency. A transporter, who owns school buses, once he led a demonstration against the government for small transporters and later became a known face in the area. In 2012, Tong joined the Aam Adami Party and visited New Delhi to support Arvind Kejriwal.

Dalbir Sing Tong, 38

• Party: AAP
• Constituency: Baba Bakala
• Votes polled: 52,468
• Vote margin: 19,552
• Vote percentage: 39.98
• Defeated: Santokh S Bhalipur, Cong

Priorities

The Dalit population in the constituency is residing in a miserable condition. I will assure that they get benefits of all welfare schemes. Strict action will be taken against drug smuggling and illegal mining. Rural infrastructure would be strengthened. — Dalbir Sing Tong, MLA Baba Bakala

“We used to stay in a gurdwara and worked for the party in 2013. No one was convinced that the AAP would form government, but I had a strong belief in Kejriwal that one day he would bring about change,” said Tong.

In 2017, he got the party ticket from Baba Bakala, but was defeated by Congress candidate Santokh Singh Bhalipur by a small margin.

“Former Union Home Minister Buta Singh was my mentor and I started working with All India Rangreta Dal in 2004. After joining the AAP in 2014, we never felt demoralised even by the defeat in the 2017 Assembly elections. I served as the state vice-president of the SC wing, general secretary and president of the transport wing of the AAP,” said Tong.

Talking about the future course of action, Tong said curbing the drug menace would be my priority in the area. “The area suffered a lot due to free flow of drugs during the SAD and Congress regimes. I have promised area residents that I will make serious efforts to eliminate drugs from the constituency. I have issued the directions to the police officers concerned in this regard and expecting good results”. The Baba Bakala MLA also assured them of boosting education, health, water, sewer and road infrastructure in the area. The mining on the Beas would be strictly prohibited.