Completing projects is my priority

Your detractors brand you an outsider. Why do you want to contest from Gurdaspur again?

No MP has spent as much time I have in Gurdaspur. I would want to complete the projects I started. So much more remains to be done. People of Gurdaspur have accepted me with open arms, which is very satisfying.

You got less than 2 years. Will development be a poll plank?

Yes, I was short on time. Though nearly ₹12 crore from my MPLAD funds have been released, the projects will take time to come up. The sugar mill at Paniar will be upgraded, and the bottling plant at Batala will be operational by February. Land for a medical college at Gurdaspur is being identified. Qadian has got a sewage treatment plant, Fatehgarh Churian a waste disposal plant and Gurdaspur and Pathankot funds for streets and parks. I ensured every assembly segment got a share.

Your rivals say the state regime has been generous towards you. Was being state party chief a challenge or a boon?

Being party’s state chief, I have been able to take MLAS along. And the CM has been receptive to my demands. But it is Gurdaspur that will get better infrastructure and jobs. So who gains?

What do you count as your biggest achievement in House?

Cutting across party lines, we mobilised all Punjab MPS to raise the issue of abolishing GST on langar. The AAP too joined us in the House to flag state’s issues.

Most prefer being in state politics. What is your take?

Unlike most leaders, I am interested in being in central politics. I was even reluctant to join politics and was pursuing an MBA in marketing. But destiny had other plans.