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Delhi Cong. Councillors to campaign in Gujarat

By Lalit K. Jha

NEW DELHI DEC. 1. After sweeping the BJP out of Town Hall, the ruling Congress Councillors in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi are now going to Gujarat to campaign for the party in the Assembly elections slated for December 12.

The Congress high command has deputed more than three dozen party Councillors for the Gujarat polls, most of whom are likely to leave for the State on Monday. The Leader of the House and Standing Committee Chairman, Ram Babu Sharma, who has been asked by the party to camp at one of the Assembly segments of Ahmedabad, said the BJP will meet the same fate as it suffered in the Delhi civic polls early this year.

``People in Delhi have lost confidence in the BJP. They have understood it is a highly communal and fascist party. This is why the BJP was defeated in the Capital. The peace-loving people of Gujarat, like Delhi, would throw them out of power as its rule has resulted in communal riots and violence,'' he said.

Mr. Sharma said the Councillors have been assigned Assembly seats for campaigning in close co-ordination with the local party leaders. "We will assist local party workers in Gujarat.'' They would work under the supervision of the five-member coordination panel of senior party leaders from the city including the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, and the Pradesh Congress Committee president, Subhash Chopra, besides, Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler and Jai Prakash Aggarwal.

Prominent among the Councillors selected to go to Gujarat are Deputy Mayor, Panna Lal Khairwal, and the Appointments Committee Chairman, Braj Mohan Sharma, who had defeated the Mayor, Shanti Desai, from Chandni Chowk. The Councillors were selected based on their past experience, organisational capability and to meet the challenges of the Assembly elections. "It is a mix of youth and experience so that we can take on the BJP workers even in the remote areas,'' said a senior Councillor.

Subhash Malhotra from Jangpura, Virender Kasana from Greater Kailash-II, Khavinder Singh Captain from Kalkaji, Jitender Kumar Kochar from Malviya Nagar, Kanwar Sen from Vasant Kunj, Devender Yadav from Badli, Prem Kumar from Krishna Nagar, Bansi Lal from Geeta Colony, Ram Naresh Gupta from Dabri, Rakesh Joshi from Karampura, Meer Singh from Chhatarpur, Anil Bashisth from West Gorakh Park, Ishwar Chand Bagri from Babarpur, and Ramesh Pandit from Preet Vihar, another giant killer of the civic polls are the other Councillors who will campaign for the party in Gujarat.

Interestingly, the Delhi Mayor, Jaishree Panwar, does not figure in this list, probably her presence is required in the Capital for the day to day activities of the civic body and to ensure that the Capital's work does not suffer.

Mr. Sharma said that the senior party leaders have briefed them about their jobs and activities in Gujarat. "Every one has been assigned a particular Assembly segment and our task is to ensure the defeat of the BJP in Gujarat as this election would decide the future of the country,'' he said.

The Councillors are expected to return to the Capital by December 15.

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