BJP plays name game in Fazilka
Praful Chander Nagpal
What’s in a name? A lot, if there’s a political pattern to it. In the past decade, the Fazilka Municipal Council carved out Dhobi Ghat Colony and named it Syama Prasad Mookerjee Nagar. Madan Gopal Road Colony was renamed Dr Baldev Prakash locality and Sacred Heart Colony became Dr Hedgewar Colony.
Mookerjee, Dr Prakash and KB Hedgewar were leaders of the Jana Sangh/BJP and the RSS. A tinge of saffron? Local MLA and Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani, of course, is from the saffron party.
A visit to the colonies, however, reveals the sorry state of affairs. Heaps of garbage and overflowing sewage make for an eyesore.
The MC auctioned off 577 plots in the colonies and earned about Rs 20 crore in the past decade. But it did not undertake any development project. In some areas, plots have not been demarcated.
“My plots were demarcated after I filed several complaints. My colony lacks sewerage pipes, water supply system and streetlights,” says Kranti Kumar of Syama Prasad Mookerjee Nagar.
Problems notwithstanding, residents credit Health Minister Jyani, also known as “Zila Nayak”, with making Fazilka a district. That was more than five years ago.
In recent days, he has been on an inauguration spree, opening the District Administrative Complex, District Court Complex and a welcome gate on the Sadiqi India-Pakistan border check post. These structures have come up for more than Rs 100 crore. The construction of a 100-bed hospital has started, while foundation stones of a cancer hospital and a trauma centre have been laid.
“It’s my dream to open the India-Pakistan border for trade. It will be realised one day,” says Jyani.
The two-time MLA is banking on development to seek another term. The Congress is likely to field SAD MP Sher Singh Ghubaya’s son Davinder Singh, who joined the party recently. AAP is betting on Samarbir Singh Sidhu. Jyani, a veteran of five elections, is facing a challenge from greenhorns in their mid-20s. More than them, he might be wary of anti-incumbency.
Last election result
Winner
Surjit Kumar Jyani (BJP)
Votes polled
40,901
Runner-up
Jaswinder Singh Rocky (Ind)
Votes polled
39,209
