Body and soul, Ludhiana da Kejriwal gives it all

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 17

When several AAP leaders have left the party, a 56-year-old auto-rickshaw driver is running the campaign by spending money from his own pocket.

Volunteer Udhay Bhan claimed to have no house in the city and he often spends nights in his vehicle stationed near Deepak Hospital. But, he is a key party volunteer since AAP was formed.

Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Bhan said he shifted to Delhi in 1979 and then to Ludhiana in 2013.

“Earlier, I used to spend the night on road near Vishwakarma Chowk, when I came to Ludhiana. After earning some money, I purchased a cycle rickshaw. Later I purchased an auto-rickshaw. Now, I am campaigning for the AAP candidate in my vehicle. I spend from my own pocket to campaign for the party,” he said.

“When AAP was formed, I was in Delhi. I used to see Kejriwal campaigning in Delhi. I started following him. It is my dream to see Arvind Kejriwal as Prime Minister of the country. I want to see development in the country. Thus, I campaign for AAP without any greed. I will keep serving the party till my last breathe,” he said.

“My wife had passed away around 10 years ago while my 15-year-old daughter is studying at Noida. I want everyone must get education. I take half fee from girl students travelling in my auto. Though I am financially poor, I am rich in my heart,” he said.

Udhay Bhan said those who left the party had come from other parties with their personal interests.

“Volunteers like me are still standing with the party and its ideology. Once I had walked from Ludhiana to Delhi to do campaigning. It took seven days to reach Delhi,” he said.

An AAP supporter, Parminder Singh, said, “We have been seeing Udhay Bhan campaigning for the party for a long time. He is a key volunteer. Some of us also call him ‘Ludhiana da Kejriwal’. Once we had got train tickets booked to visit Amritsar, but Bhan got these cancelled. He took us in his auto-rickshaw to Kejriwal’s rally in Amritsar.”