Akhbaran par bharosa na kareyo…Papers don’t report correct news of AAP: Kanwar Sandhu, AAP candidate from kharar

Dressed in grey kurta-pyjama, black coat and yellow turban, Sandhu, along with his son Dr Karan Sandhu and supporters, reaches fourth village on his list, Badanpur, at 2.30 pm where he opens an attack on media houses for being partial towards AAP.

“Akhbaran par bharosa na kareyo. Akhbar Aam Aadmi Party di khabar sahi nahi lagandey [Do not believe newspapers. Papers do not report correct news of AAP],” warns Sandhu, who has had around a 38-year-long journalism career that includes around 20 years as editor of reputed media organisations. He has declared his total assets amounting to Rs 4.50 crore. “NRIs are helping us because they do not read newspapers published here. Media abroad broadcasts correct news and NRIs go through those news reports. Around 180 NRIs from Canada have landed in India supporting AAP and around 40 have come from Dubai,” he says.

Before reaching Badanpur, Sandhu’s first stop was at Kansala village at 11 am to address a gathering of around 50 waiting villagers. Here he starts with “Wahe Guru Ji Da Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji Di Fateh” which is reciprocated by the people sitting on mats braving the chilly air. In chaste Punjabi language, focusing on promises made by AAP in its Punjab election manifesto, he also ensures that people know his 21-point election manifesto for Kharar constituency. It includes conducting an inquiry into the ruling Badal family’s seven star resort at Pallanpur village, stopping fly menace at poultry farms, upgrading hospitals in Kharar and Kurali, starting work on pending project of Dashmesh Canal, developing Kurali as tehsil, repair of village roads, checking illegal mining mafia and encroachment on panchayat land.

Pal Singh, 70, a retired meter inspector from Punjab State Electricity Board from Kansala village, like most other villagers, is of the view that by offering party ticket to first-timer and realtor Ranjeet Singh Gill, the SAD has turned the February 4 electoral contest mainly between the Congress’s sitting MLA Jagmohan Singh Kang and the AAP’s Kanwar Sandhu. Gill is facing dissidence from within the party as the SAD has refused ticket to its 2012 Assembly candidate Ujagar Singh Wadali’s daughter, who is Kharar Zila Parishad’s chairperson.

Many villagers consider 2012 Assembly election winner Kang as a strong candidate as the Congress has been been winning the Kharar seat continuously since 2002. But the AAP’s unsuccessful 2014 Lok Sabha candidate Himmat Singh Shergill had been successful in bagging 45,098 votes from Kharar and was at the second spot after winning candidate Prem Singh Chandumajra who polled 50,174 votes. The Congress’s Ambika Soni had got only 39,183 votes from Kharar.

Sandhu’s cavalcade of three SUVs, Innova, Fortuner and Safari, now treads through the potholes of kaccha roads in the village to reach the next stop at Kalewal village. Campaign jingle being blared from loud speakers fitted on Innova catches villagers’ attention: “Jhadoo wala button daba do Punjabiyon, Jhadoo wala; Badlan nu sabak sikha do Punjabiyon”. The cavalcade is followed by a Punjab government’s election duty officials’ jeep to videotape the campaign.

On reaching Kalewal around 1.30 pm, Sandhu takes off his shoes to sit on the mat along with about 40 villagers with almost an equal number of men and women. Addressing audience through a microphone fitted to the loud speakers on his Innova to ensure those in the vicinity can also hear him, Sandhu attacks the Badal family. “Jadon raja vyapari ho janda, praja bhikhari ho jandi aa [When the king becomes trader, people turn beggars],” says Sandhu and the audience nod their heads in approval.

“Badals and their henchmen are not only into the business of transport but also cable, liquor, dhabas, sand and gravel mining and what not,” he adds, promising an inquiry into the recently opened 7-star Sukhvilas resort in Mohali district. “It is not Sukhvilas but Loot Vilas which has no sukh for Aam Aadmi.”

Sandhu continues: “Leave aside stories of villages, visit Naya Gaon and from no angle will you find it Naya Gaon, though it is hardly a kilometre from Chief Minister’s house.”

Ensuring his connect with the farmers, he says, “Main bhi kisan da put haan, mainu pata haan kisan nu faslan di sahi kimat nahi mildi [I am also a farmer’s son and I know farmers do not get fair price for their crops].” He promises, if voted to power, whatever amount a farmer spends on his crops, the AAP government will return him 50 per cent more than that. Seeking two years’ time to help the farmers get rid of their debts, he tells the villagers if Congress candidate Kang comes to them promising the same, ask him why his party has not helped them till now. Answering the villagers’ questions, the AAP candidate shares his personal mobile number with them.

Before reaching Singhpura, the cavalcade stops at a house for tea where Sandhu is handed over donation for his party fund in an envelope. Sandhu ensures that his son records the donor’s PAN number. Here Shamsher Singh attracts Sandhu’s attention by revealing that he along with 40 Punjabis has just come to support the AAP from Dubai.

While he is addressing a gathering of around 70 people on a ground adjacent to Singhpura village gurdwara around 4 pm, Sandhu attracts the audience’s attention to a helicopter flying above. “Look at this. Badal sahab’s expenditure on helicopter is around Rs 48 crore in a year. This will not happen in our government.” Villagers here honour him with siropa. “People say AAP leaders are topiwalas. Look at me, Gurpreet Ghuggi, H S Phoolka,” he adds.

Sensing the audience’s problems, Sandhu says, “I also grew up in a village and as a kid, I used to take a bath along with buffaloes in village ponds [chappars]. Can we enjoy such a bath today? Chappars are in such a deplorable condition that even animals can’t enter them.”

As he reaches Sahaura, one of the largest villages in Kharar around 6 pm, he is greeted by a crowd having maximum young voters with drumbeats and garlands. The villagers here weigh him against ladoos as was done by Badanpur villagers earlier in the day. After addressing the gathering attended by village sarpanch Harinder Singh, an ex-Akali, Sandhu is surrounded by youngsters for a selfie.

Before leaving the village around 7 pm, Sandhu pays obeisance at village gurdwara. He still has to cover three more villages before he calls it a day.