BJP MP Harsh Vardhan bids farewell to politics
Harsh Vardhan, the incumbent MP from Chandni Chowk, announced his departure from active politics on Sunday after his name was not added to the BJP’s candidate list for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In a reflective post on social media, he expressed gratitude for his “glorious electoral career” spanning over three decades and outlined his future endeavours, including continued advocacy against tobacco, climate change, and promoting sustainable lifestyles.
In the first list of 195 candidates declared by the BJP, Praveen Khandelwal has been fielded from Chandni Chowk, a seat which Vardhan holds at present.
The former Union minister said service to mankind was his motto when he joined MBBS in GSVM Medical College, Kanpur 50 years back with a desire to help the poor and needy.
“A swayamsewak at heart, I have always been an ardent admirer of Deen Dayal Upadhyay ji’s Antodaya philosophy of striving to serve the last man in the queue. It was at the insistence of the then RSS leadership that I jumped into the electoral fray.
“They could convince me only because for me politics meant opportunity to fight our three main enemies - poverty, disease and ignorance,” he said in the same post.
During his tenure, Vardhan held several positions, including Delhi Health Minister and Union Health Minister, where he spearheaded initiatives to improve public health. Notably, he played a pivotal role in India’s efforts to eradicate polio and managed the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic during its initial phases. Expressing gratitude for the opportunity to collaborate closely with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vardhan praised Modi’s leadership and vision for the nation.
He acknowledged the privilege of defending the people in times of crisis.
In the long history of mankind, only a few have been granted the privilege to defend their people in hours of gravest danger, he said, adding that he can proudly claim that he did not shirk responsibility, but welcomed it.
“My gratitude to Ma Bharati, my reverence to my fellow citizens and my obeisance to the values enshrined in our Constitution. And yes, that was the biggest privilege that Bhagwan Shri Ram bestowed upon me, the privilege of being able to save human lives !!” he said. He signed off with the famous lines by Robert Frost.
“I move on, I really can’t wait. I have promises to keep .. and miles to go before I sleep !! I have a dream .. and I know your blessings shall always remain with me. My ENT clinic at Krishna Nagar too awaits my return,” he said.
In 2014, Vardhan had defeated Kapil Sibal, then with the Congress, to win the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha seat while in the 2019 polls, he trounced Congress’ Jai Prakash Agarwal.
