BJP keeps faith in Kataria family, Opposition yet to reveal cards
Nitish Sharma &
Shiv Kumar Sharma
Tribune News Service
Ambala, March 16
The Ambala Lok Sabha constituency got vacant after the demise of senior BJP leader and three-time MP Rattan Lal Kataria last year.
Development at a glance
- NIFT campus started in Panchkula
- Kendriya Vidyalaya at Bilaspur
- Four-laning of roads and highways in Ambala and Y’nagar
- Redevelopment of Ambala Cantt railway station at designing stage
- Primary health centre constructed in adopted village and upgrade of hospitals
- Funds for development of parks, rural roads
- Helped about 400 cancer patients
Report Card
former MP: Rattan Lal Kataria
Attendance in Lok Sabha: 99%
Questions raised: 87
Debates: 30
MPLAD Fund received: Rs 12.5 cr
Fund utilisation: Nearly 100%
Got us many projects
Former MP Rattan Lal Kataria got several development works done, including a primary health centre, two community centres, building of village-level secretariat and a number of streets and roads at Khadri village, which was adopted by him. Suman, former sarpanch of khadri
Still awaiting rail line
Rattan Lal Kataria actively worked in Yamunanagar district, but the railway line project between Yamunanagar-Chandigarh via Naraingarh could not turn into reality. — Himanshu, A resident of Jagadhri
While the BJP has kept its faith in the Kataria family for its loyalty and introduced his wife and state executive member Banto Kataria as the party’s candidate, the opposition parties are yet to disclose their cards.
In the 2019 elections, Rattan Lal Kataria defeated his nearest rival, Congress leader Kumari Selja, by a record margin of over 3.42 lakh votes. He had expressed his desire to develop Ambala as a hub of industry, transportation and logistics.
During his last tenure (till May last year), he had a presence of 99% in the Lok Sabha and raised several issues and demands related to the setting up of defence equipment manufacturing industry, promoting science apparatus manufacturing industry, redeveloping the cantonment station, four and six-laning of roads, and developing Panchkula as a smart city. He also served as Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti.
He adopted Khadri village falling under the Jagadhri Assembly segment and made a demand for a new railway line between Yamunanagar-Chandigarh via Naraingarh, in Parliament several times.
“Since it will be the first-ever election for Banto, the party will largely bank on the Modi factor and the works done by the former MP. As the new CM, Nayab Singh Saini, belongs to Naraingarh, one of the Assembly constituencies in the Ambala Lok Sabha, it will help the party in the upcoming poll, though it is currently being represented by a Congress MLA,” say political experts.
Banto Kataria, said: “Kataria ji had ensured equal development of all segments during his terms as an MP of Ambala and projects worth thousands of crores were brought in by him. Developing Ambala as a logistics hub was one of his dream projects. Many companies are setting up godowns in the area. People of Ambala have always supported us, and we will make efforts to fulfil their expectations.”
Menawhile, Kumari Selja said: “The BJP has done nothing for the Ambala Lok Sabha over the past 10 years. There are regular complaints of illegal mining. The Panchkula-Yamunanagar railway line has been a long-pending project, but the government is still saying that a survey will be done. Surveys have been done in the past, too. The BJP brought no new project and even those brought by us during the Congress regime were shelved.”
