‘The people have voted for development’

* In your last term,you served as a member on the committees of agriculture and civil aviation. There are murmurs that your name is being considered for the post of a Union Minister of State.
This is speculation. I’d be happy to take up any responsibility my party gives me,but no decision has been taken yet. All these matters are being discussed at the senior most level by the Prime Minister,UPA Chairperson and the other senior functionaries of the party.

* But since you are considered close to Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi,do you believe youngsters and first-timers will get a chance to be in the Cabinet?
As I said,this is all speculation. No decision has been taken as of now. Things are being discussed.

* Though your constituency has witnessed development; don’t you think it were easier for you since you are the Chief Minister’s son? Rohtak got the lion’s share of government funding.
Rohtak isn’t the only area which has been developed. The standards have improved all over the state,which is why people have given the verdict in our favour for two consecutive Lok Sabha elections now. In terms of my constituency,it isn’t only about the state government funding. The development has been comprehensive. It isn’t restricted only to Rohtak city. Go to Jhajjar,which till recently was the most backward area of Haryana. It is a part of Rohtak constituency. Today one of India’s best known SEZs is being developed there. Two mega thermal power projects would ensure that it becomes the electricity hub of Haryana. The new highways,connection to railway corridors,sports academies aren’t all about state funding. I wonder why people are levelling baseless allegations.

* When you say baseless allegations,what is it that you refer to?
For instance,there was this whole fallacious rumour that the Chief Minister wanted to field his wife on MP ticket from Sonepat. Or,there were some more suggestions that CM did not like certain candidates and wasn’t keen on their victories. Come to think of it,the Chief Minister is responsible for the entire state and to suggest that he had an aversion to his own party people was foolhardy. Similarly,neither the Chief Minister nor my mother was ever keen to contest from Sonepat. Some party workers themselves had suggested this idea,but the CM rejected it. Anyways,now a victory margin of 9-1 should answer everyone.

* You,along with other young leaders like Millind Deora,Sachin Pilot,Jyotiraditya Scindia,Sandeep Dikshit,are regarded the upcoming political leaders of India. But don’t you think the fact that you came from well established political families helped your cause?
There is no doubt that being born in a well known family facilitates the entry,but the advantage ends right there. It is like a famous lawyer’s son getting a lot of cases initially,but if he does not turn out to be a good professional,he wouldn’t last long. There are also the examples of the Kennedy,Bush and Clinton families. And dynastic system is not confined to politics it is evident in most of the occupations across all the countries. Sons of doctors often end up being doctors.