Kuldeep Bishnoi has failed as people’s representative
The entry of Congress candidate Jai Prakash in the Adampur byelection has made the contest interesting. He is a seasoned politician who has experiences of contesting elections from four different segments and three different political parties, besides getting elected as an Independent candidate once. In an interview to Deepender Deswal, Jai Prakash targets his main opponent Kuldeep Bishnoi. Kuldeep’s son Bhavya is the BJP candidate in the Adampur byelection. Excerpts:
THE TRIBUNE INTERVIEW: Jai Prakash, Congress candidate & Bhavya Bishnoi of the BJP
You contested from Adampur in 2009 and gave a tough fight to Bhajan Lal. What are you expecting now?
I have been constantly in touch with the people of Adampur Assembly segment, as I was Hisar district Congress president till 2013. Even after I got elected as the MLA from Kalayat in Kaithal district in 2014 as an Independent, I used to visit my workers and acquaintances in Adampur on personal invitations. Again, I was made the incharge of the Hisar unit of the party recently. So there is no gap.
What are the main issues in Adampur?
Adampur has been neglected for nearly past eight years. It is unfortunate that Kuldeep has joined the party, which is responsible for the poor condition of infrastructure in Adampur. One can visit Adampur town or any of the 52 villages and see damaged roads, lack of basic amenities in the area. Kuldeep, during his tenure as the MP and MLA for the past nearly 26 years, has failed to fully utilise the government grants meant for the development of the segment, resulting in the lapse of those grants. He is an absolute failure as people’s representative. During the recent monsoon, sewerage got choked and rainwater entered houses. I want people to make comparisons between the works done by Bhupinder Singh Hooda as the CM and the present government, which will set the records straight.
What’s your take on Bhajan Lal’s legacy that the BJP is now trying to cash in on?
That legacy is no longer relevant in Adampur. In fact, Kuldeep betrayed his father Bhajan Lal in 2007 when he defected from the Congress and formed the Haryana Janhit Congress. Though he got his father and Congress MLA from Gohana Dharampal Malik (Bhajan Lal loyalist) to resign from the Assembly, he himself opted not to resign from the Lok Sabha as he (Kuldeep Bishnoi) was also the Congress MP from Bhiwani.
How important is this byelection?
This election is important from the point of view of BJP leader Kuldeep Bishnoi who has betrayed the electorate of his constituency. They elected him as their MLA on the Congress ticket in 2019. It is an opportunity to teach him a lesson for betraying the people.
Why are you being labelled as an outsider?
This is a non-issue as I have stated facts about my association with Adampur and Hisar district.
Who is your main rival in the byelection?
I am sure about my win as I got feelers from the ground during the campaign. I got a positive response from Congress leaders, including former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Member of the Rajya Sabha Deepender Hooda and state president Udai Bhan.
What in your opinion drove Kuldeep Bishnoi to desert Congress?
Kuldeep got upset when Dalit leader Udai Bhan was nominated as Haryana Congress president. Besides, he was under pressure due to court cases under the Income Tax Act against him following the IT raids on his premises in 2019.
