In the name of nationalism, govt cannot hide its failures: Capt Ajay Singh Yadav

It is an age-old tradition in Gurugram where a public representative who speaks with the voters is first honoured by a 'pagdi' which he adorns on his head. Fighting his first Lok Sabha election, 61-year-old Captain Ajay Singh Yadav promises his voters in the public meetings that he will not let their honour and expectations down. Even though this may be the first General elections that he is fighting Captain Yadav is a veteran leader for Haryana Congress and has been a six-time MLA from Rewari.

In an exclusive interview with Piyush Ohrie of Millennium Post, Captain Yadav talked about his vision for Gurugram and how in seeking votes for strengthening national security the government is hiding its failures. He also gave tips on how to be fit to undertake a gruelling process of the campaign trail. Excerpts

What are the major issues that plague Gurugram Lok Sabha constituency?

There is widespread anger among the people on demonetization. There are a large number of small traders and small scale medium industries situated in Gurugram. They were the worse sufferers because of the miscalculated step taken by the government. There was also wide scale unemployment that was caused due to the thoughtless decision. Another issue which angers the voters is pollution. Gurugram is the most polluted city in the world and this is because the government did not work towards extending the Metro and improving the traffic and waste management systems. Finally, there is health and education. The government can open a luxury guesthouse in its tenure but it cannot open a Gurugram university and defence university that was promised. The AIIMS that is to come up in Manethi also does not have the required clearances and just like most of the projects is bound to get stuck in bureaucratic and legal hurdles.

If you become the MP from Gurugram what will be your key priorities?

My focus will be to improve health and education. I will make sure that there is a new public hospital that comes up in Gurugram city at the earliest. Also making Gurugram University in Kakrola operational will be my endeavour. I want to provide a corruption free and environment-friendly Gurugram.

In a state where one out of ten people is a soldier, the sentiments for national security is very strong. At a time when the national government has taken strong measures against terrorism what are your views about issues of national security being raised in this general elections?

I myself have served in Indian Army and I feel that in the name of nationalism the government cannot hide its failures. The soldiers have performed their duty well not the so-called chowkidars. How is it possible that 300 kilograms of RDX can come into Pulwama and no one knows about it. Moreover, the car carrying such huge explosive was able to come in the national highway. 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars were fought under the Congress regime. We acknowledged our shortcoming in 1962 and were humble in our victory in 1965 and 1971.

There is anger among the residents of new Gurugram regarding the shifting of Kherki Dhaula toll plaza and expediting the construction of Dwarka Expressway, how will you tackle this challenge?

It is the intent of the government that has ensured that these challenges have not been tackled. Irrespective of the legal and bureaucratic challenges, it is the duty of the public representative to speak to his people about the difficulties and why the task is not being completed in time. The problem with BJP MP is that after getting elected he does not speak with his voters and therefore cannot provide them assurances.

The groundwater levels in Gurugram is falling at an alarming level, what will you do to tackle this major problem?

When your leadership is weak, it also affects the functioning of public agencies. Illegal bore wells are one of the major reasons behind Gurugram's falling groundwater reserves. During my stint as an irrigation minister, our government made sure that the water supply from canals reached Gurugram. Sadly this government did not work on improving the water supply systems.

Mewat today is the most backward district in the country, why have the seeds of development not reached a district that is bordering one of the richest cities in the country?

It is because voters in Mewat have only been seen through the prism of their caste and religion and development has never been an agenda. My focus in Mewat is development and progress of the region.