Modi pitches for city as education, tourism hub

Hindustan Times | ByGurpreet Singh Nibber and Surender Sharma, Chandigarh

Mar 30, 2014 12:18 PM IST

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Coming out with a pitch to woo the city’s voters, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP)’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi focused on discussing his plans for the union territory at his election rally, here on Saturday. My victory as prime minister would only be complete when the BJP is victorious from Chandigarh (From left) BJP leader Satya Pal Jain.

Coming out with a pitch to woo the city’s voters, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP)’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi focused on discussing his plans for the union territory at his election rally, here on Saturday.

My victory as prime minister would only be complete when the BJP is victorious from Chandigarh (From left) BJP leader Satya Pal Jain; Chandigarh deputy mayor Devesh Moudgil; city party in charge Aarti Mehra; party candidate Kirron Kher; prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi; Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal; state party president Sanjay Tandon and senior leader Harmohan Dhawan during a party rally in Chandigarh on Saturday.

He said that he hoped to make the city a tourism hub that would cater to tourists from Shimla to those visiting the Golden Temple as well.
Modi claimed that he knew the aspirations of Chandigarh more than the BJP candidate Kirron Kher, as he had worked in the city as the BJP incharge.

“My victory as prime minister would only be complete when BJP is victorious from Chandigarh,” he said, addressing a well-attended gathering. He added that he envisioned the city as an educational hub.

He did not forget to lash out at five-time MP Pawan Bansal, the Congress candidate. Referring to the Railgate, Modi wondered on the reasons for Bansal’s removal from the union cabinet and the logic for fielding him again as the party (Congress’ candidate).

“The Congress is befooling the people of the union territory,” he alleged. “We are made to believe that corruption will never end, but it would vanish under the BJP government,” he claimed.

“As a UT, Chandigarh is directly under the control of the home minister. However, it has suffered as the post of the home minister in the UPA government is temporary,” he claimed. He also claimed that Chandigarh was the second-most unsafe place for women after Delhi.

Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal welcomed Modi. BJP’s Chandigarh unit president Sanjay Tandon, party candidate Kirron Kher, former union minister Harmohan Dhawan and others also greeted him.