Senior BJP leaders on Tuesday released the revised edition of Delhi chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan’s book, A Tale of Two Drops , about the mass campaign he was instrumental in launching in the Capital to eradicate polio.
Recalling the time the book was released by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in December 2004, senior party leader Sushma Swaraj said India has now become a polio-free country. “To call the task ‘difficult’ will be an over-simplification,” she said. “The man who freed Delhi of polio will soon free Delhi of the Congress.”
Ms. Swaraj said Dr. Vardhan had been conferred the Director-General’s Polio Eradication Champion Award Commendation Medal by WHO in 1998, yet he comes across as such a humble person. “The combination of Dr. Vardhan, the experience of V. K. Malhotra and the energetic Vijay Goel will ensure a win for the BJP in Delhi,” she said.
Dr. Vardhan, fondly called ‘Doctor Saab’ by supporters and opponents alike, said he wanted to bring the book to its logical conclusion now. “The updated version tells the story between 2004 and today,” he said. “Beyond January 2014, India will prepare to receive the crucial polio eradication certificate from WHO.”
He added that all it required was determination to eradicate polio. “There were several polio cases where I live. But I am very happy to note that we have successfully eradicated polio.”
