BJP announces support to Kang

Addressing a press conference on Thursday,BJP’s city unit president Sanjay Tandon said rampant corruption had been witnessed in the Congress-dominated corporation in the last three years. “The wards represented by BJP and Akali councillors were completely neglected. Though a few projects were approved,they were never executed. The Congress mayors only executed projects in their wards. By supporting Kang,we are hopeful of bringing about a change,” he said.

BJP leaders present on the occasion,including Satya Pal Jain and Harmohan Dhawan,appealed to the nominated councillors as well as those in the Congress to vote for Kang. The party has taken corruption as its poll plank,with Kang resigning from the Congress alleging that the coterie of Union minister Pawan Bansal was corrupt.

Kang said: “I had been telling Pawan Bansal for the last one year about the growing corruption in the corporation and had requested him to hold a meeting,which he never did. His coterie has been using his name for all sorts of activities. The decision taken by him to field Pali (Ravinder Pal Singh) is not fair. Pali does not stand anywhere near me. If elected,I will work as a servant and ensure that all my fellow councillors enjoy the powers of a mayor.”

Reacting to the allegations of outgoing Mayor Anu Chatrath that he developed problems with the party only after he was not named as the mayoral candidate,he counter attacked,saying Chatrath’s only achievement during her tenure was the construction of a garden in Sector 15. BJP leaders expressed confidence that they would be able to garner enough votes to ensure victory for Kang.

Former mayor and Congress councillor Pardeep Chhabra,meanwhile,said the BJP did not have its own candidate and had been forced to ‘adopt’ Kang as a candidate. “Every party rues that the mayor has no powers. How can there be corruption? No councillor in the last 16 years,ever since the civic body came into being,has alleged corruption. BJP is lowering the morale of its own councillors by supporting Kang,” he said.

President of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee B B Bahl said Kang would join them back before the election. He said: “I am sure good sense will prevail on him. BJP has no option,but to support Kang. The charges of corruption that are being levelled have no proof. We will win by a comfortable margin.”