Delhi CM Kejriwal ‘finds’ family in Punjab

For this town in Punjab, Duli Chand’s connection with Kejriwal came as a surprise. He has been residing in Abohar for more than 30 years.

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Besides Duli Chand, two more Buas and Fufas (aunts and uncles) along with their family members had come to meet Kejriwal from Ganganagar in Rajasthan, 40 km from Abohar. Even local AAP workers did not know that the Delhi CM had close relatives in Punjab and Rajasthan. In total, more than 70 relatives had come to meet Kejriwal. Local AAP workers did not lose the opportunity to prise Kejriwal and suggested the Delhi CM become the face of Punjab elections, while a few others said he should groom a leader like him in Punjab.

Duli Chand, who is a known ayurvedic medicine practitioner locally, said, “Kejriwal himself called to inform us that he would be coming to have tea with us. It was a great honour to have him at our house. After he became the Delhi CM, though we spoke over the phone two to three times, this was the first time that we met him in person. The last time he came here was in 1989, to attend my son Mahendra’s wedding.”

Ramesh Goyal, an uncle who had come with his wife Renu Goyal from Ganganagar, said, “Rival political parties have repeatedly called him a Haryanvi, now they can see his Punjab connection too. We keep in regular touch with his wife Sunita over family affairs, but were delighted to meet him in person today.”

When asked why the family never celebrated his victory in Delhi, Pawan Nagarui, a distant relative, said, “We never wanted to make our relationship public, otherwise people would pester us to get their work done and we are strictly against this.”

Another relative, however, said, “But we had gone to campaign for the Delhi polls on both the occasions.”