The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Chandigarh): On Thursday, Congress’s Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat candidate, Manish Tewari, emphasized that while Congress leaders have sacrificed their lives for the nation, the BJP engages in “jumlebaazi” (rhetoric) and merely talks about nationalism. Tewari, a two-time MP whose father Vishwanath Tewari was killed by militants during the terrorism period in Punjab, challenged the BJP to provide an example of their leaders making similar sacrifices.
“Shouting slogans like ‘Bharatmata ki Jai’ from a safe distance and making it actually happen are two different things,” Tewari said, highlighting the Congress’s actual achievements, such as the victory in the 1971 India-Pakistan war under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He pointed out that Congress not only won India’s freedom but also unified over 500 princely states into a single nation, while the BJP was not even formed at that time.
During his padyatra at the Motor Market in Chandigarh, Tewari criticized BJP leaders for claiming that India has become stronger under their rule. He argued that these claims are mere words and that the country has actually weakened. Tewari contrasted the BJP’s rhetoric with the practical “guarantees” made in the Congress poll manifesto, aimed at public welfare.
Tewari promised that, once the INDIA bloc government takes over after June 4, the free ration given to poor families would be doubled. He also announced that each poor family would receive Rs 8,500 monthly, directly deposited into the bank account of the eldest woman in the family. He highlighted that Congress governments in Telangana and Karnataka quickly fulfilled their promises after coming to power, contrasting this with the BJP’s unmet promises.
He concluded that the same swift action would follow if an INDIA bloc government is formed at the Centre. Polling for the lone Chandigarh seat is scheduled for June 1.