Candidate watch: SSM’s choice wants people to embrace honest politics

Occupation: Builder, pursuing law degree

Party: SSM

Why politics: Many people see politics as the government and the process of making laws. That is true. We have seen recently the forcible implementation of the three agricultural laws by the (Narendra) Modi government that forced Indian farmers to hit the roads of Delhi. I think that if you want to bring about a change in the system, then get into the system and make that change.

Winnability factor: The Sanyukta Samaj Morcha (SSM), a group of 22 of the 32 farmers’ unions that had participated in the year-long agitation against the now-repealed farm laws, is also trying to bring to its fold smaller farmer bodies, employees’ unions, labour unions and industry workers’ unions. We are meeting organisations from all sections of society, not only farmers.

One promise: To provide better health care services for the common man of Derabassi constituency.

Issues : Unemployment is one of the main reasons for the spread of drug abuse among the youths of Punjab. Unemployment leads to frustration and family pressure. Bad company and easy availability of intoxicants are considered to be the major factors for the increasing menace. Youths fall prey to drugs when they don’t get jobs despite having good educational qualification. The state governments were never serious to chalk out a plan to overcome the problem of unemployment.

How has life changed: Our schedule is very tight. As we have lesser time, I meet almost 300 to 500 families in a day.

Big issues in Derabassi: Traffic jams, need of river water to drink and irrigation work in constituency, water and air pollution, no better hospital at Zirakpur, need of a degree college at Zirakpur and Lalru, and upgradation of electrical infrastructure for growing population.

Why vote for you: People are fed up with false and hollow promises of traditional political parties. They are ready to embrace honest politics of SSM. I have spent almost my entire life in Derabassi constituency and seen politicians making repeated promises, but they remained unfulfilled.

How are you different: The SSM invited people of the state to make united efforts for prosperous Punjab by sidelining the traditional political parties which are allegedly spreading “economic loot” and “political filth” in the state.

The Congress and the Akali governments have made Punjab a debtor of Rs 3 lakh crore in the last 50 years. With a population of three crore, today every individual in Punjab has a debt of Rs 1 lakh. Once upon a time, Punjab used to be the ‘breadbasket’ state of India. The biggest sports industry in the entire country was in Punjab. But loot and corruption of the previous SAD-BJP and the present Congress government have ruined Punjab.

Vision: To make Derabassi constituency a model constituency, with better healthcare infrastructure and to give every child his right of better education. We are working on a vision document to bail out the farming community from the present distress state.