In Nangloi Jat, parties battle it out over civic amenities

Nangloi Jat’s “reclusive” Congress candidate and former MLA, Dr Bijender Singh, has been highlighting his efforts to get the hospital in Paschim Vihar inaugurated twice.

“We brought connectivity through the Metro and roads. The 200-bed hospital, which the BJP takes credit for, was announced by the Congress. Now, a little bit of rain makes the roads cave in. This was not the case earlier,” Singh said at a meeting in Block-H, Nihal Vihar, on Friday.

Similarly, BJP’s Manoj Shokeen, who defeated two-time MLA Singh by 11,000 votes in the 2013 Assembly polls, has been accusing the Congress of “stealing the credit” for his work.

“Construction of the hospital is yet to begin. For the last 10 years, the Slum and the Health departments were fighting over land allotment rules. But, I met the chief secretary and Lt-Governor and got them to reallocate five acres of land,” Shokeen said at a meeting in Meerabagh.

Two underpasses — one connecting Meerabagh to Rohtak Road and the other connecting Guru Harkrishnan Nagar to Madipur — are next on the list for the mud-slinging between the parties. “Traffic in the evening is horrible in Paschim Vihar and Sundar Vihar. We managed to get clearances which were pending for years. What the Congress MLA could not do in years, we did in six months,” Shokeen claimed.

Speaking of the tussle, Roshni, a Delhi University student from the area said, “Before every election they make promises. The Congress did not do anything for 15 years. So the BJP was seen as a welcome change. But they have not done any work either.”

While the Congress and the BJP continue the slugfest, AAP’s Raghvendra Shokeen seems to be making inroads into the constituency. “In 2013, the AAP candidate was not known so nobody trusted the party. Raghvendra Shokeen is a known face. With Arvind Kejriwal backing him, he may get some work done,” Ramesh Babu a vegetable seller in Nihal Vihar Mandi, said.

“I don’t make noise in my campaigns. I tell them that if the AAP government could do so much in 49 days, I can definitely get these projects running. People have seen my work. Now with AAP, I will change the face of the constituency,” Raghvendra said.