In Moti Nagar, a BJP leader makes his poll debut: Meet Harish Khurana, son of ‘Dilli ka sher’ Madan Lal

Three decades later, Harish makes his election debut, contesting from the same seat his father represented. Ahead of him lies the task of taking back Moti Nagar, which he calls “Khurana ji ka karmkshetra (Khurana ji’s field of influence and work)”, from sitting AAP MLA and party’s candidate Shivcharan Goyal.

On Friday, like most days, the 50-year-old BJP leader has a busy day ahead — from an event for retired people to be attended by BJP Meerut MP Arun Govil, more famous as Ram from the TV series Ramayana, in a posh Kirti Nagar colony; a padyatra in Harijan Camp; an event for traders at Orion Banquet Hall; another for distribution of Mahila Samridhhi Yojna certificates to women on Rama Road; a meeting in Sewa Basti; and an event in Agarwal Bhawan in East Punjabi Bagh.

He is running late by half an hour for the padyatra. Yet, he takes a short detour to offer prayers at a local temple right at the entrance of the Harijan Camp, located behind the Kirti Nagar main road which houses the upscale furniture market. He then visits a paan shop beside the temple. The owner shows him a picture of their fathers meeting each other — it shows the panwari’s father paying his respects to Madan Lal after garlanding him with flowers.

As he enters the jhuggi jhopdi cluster, loud slogans rent the air amid drumbeats: “Harish Khurana aaye hai, nayi roshni laaye hai (Harish Khurana has come, he has brought new light). The procession moves at a snail’s pace through Harijan Camp, navigating broken drains, exposed pipelines, and narrow streets lined by closely-packed houses with low-hanging tin roofs.

Madan Lal was Delhi’s Chief Minister between 1993 and 1996. (Express photo)

It is a far cry from his sprawling house in Kirti Nagar, but Harish calls the constituents his family. Along the way, local BJP workers introduce him to residents and he garlands them with flowers. He stops a couple of times where there is space for people to gather and fiercely pushes back against the AAP’s charge that slums will be demolished if the BJP comes to power.

“Main vachan deta hoon, jab tak Harish Madan Lal Khurana zinda hai, ek bhi jhuggi nahi tootne dunga… Madan Lal Khurana ne toh jhuggiyan basayi thi (I promise to you that till the time I am alive, not even a single slum will be demolished. Madan Lal Khurana was the one who had set up these slums),” he assures the crowd, which launches into slogans of “Bhai Harish Khurana, zindabad (Long live Harish Khurana)”.

While there has been a lot of focus on the sons of two other former chief ministers contesting the elections — Sheila Dikshit’s son and Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit, and Sahib Singh Verma’s son Parvesh Verma — Harish has his own rich legacy to count on.

In Kirti Nagar, as the audience waits for Govil, 70-year-old Prem Kumar recounts Madan Lal’’s days as a teacher. “I am an old friend of his… when he was a teacher at Bal Bharti,” says Kumar, who has retired from the Army.

At a small gathering of around 50 people in Sewa Basti’s small community park, while the BJP leader speaks, Shyam Kumar shares why he pledges his support. “I had driven Madan Lal Khurana ji’s car back in the day… for around two weeks. Harish ko humne jab vo chhota tha tab se dekha hai… Madan Lal ji ne hi yeh basti bachayi thi (We have seen Harish when he was young. Madan Lal ji has saved this slum then),” he recollects.

A key highlight in Harish’s campaign speeches has been his ‘100-day plan’. From providing clean drinking water and fixing the sewer overflow problem to repairing broken roads, he promises to fulfill these within 100 days if he is voted to power.

“Vade toh todne ke liye kare jaate hai. Vachan liye jaate hai ishwar ko sakshi rakhke (Promises are made to be broken. But pledges are made with God as the witness).” In return, he also asks for a “vachan” from the people who have gathered for a public meeting in East Punjabi Bagh. “Vachan yeh hai, kya aap apne is bete ko aashirwad denge 5 tarik ko? Denge?… Aap apne vachan ki laj rakhna, yeh beta apne vachan ki laj rakhega. (Do you guarantee to vote for your son on 5 February? Will you?… If you keep your guarantee, I will keep my guarantee…) Together, we will make Moti Nagar Assembly constituency the best in Delhi,” he says.