The IT raids that have been conducted at my campaign office and on some of my associates are harrasment tactics that the BJP is using to try to cripple my campaign.I see these raids as vendetta of the ruling party at the Centre. They have consistently been engaging in orchestrating IT raids on several Congress leaders and opposition leaders, not only in Karnataka but also across the country. It shows that they are nervous and foresee defeat, which is why they are stooping to such low levels. It is a reflection of extreme insecurity of the BJP leadership. The Congress party will not be intimidated by such actions of the opposition. The people will give them a fitting reply as they are smart enough to see through their game plan.
Congress-JDS candidate for Bangalore Central Lok Sabha Constituency, Rizwan Arshad believes that the time for change has come and the people will vote the BJP out of power in the Centre. Addressing a media meeting at the at his office in Bengaluru, Rizwan Arshad said, “Over the last two weeks or so, I have covered the length and breadth of Bangalore Central Lok Sabha Constituency, meeting various kinds of people and interacting with them on a one-to-one basis. The general consensus that comes out is that the people want change. There are several complaints of very little and often no work being done by the incumbent MP of Bangalore Central. Traffic congestion, water problems, infrastructure issues plague Bangalore Central. There is the issue of the IT Corridor. We have a big IT belt. Despite them paying huge amount of taxes, there is no development there. People say that their elected MP has been missing from the constituency. The mood of the people is for change. People know that I am a youngster and I am active. I am confident that I have the blessings of the people.”
Twitter War
Rizwan Arshad has waged a ‘Twitter War’ against the incumbent MP of Bangalore Central, PC Mohan. “I have challenged Shri. P C Mohan to an Open Debate through Twitter, where I have been asking him several questions regarding the development works taken up over the last ten years. I have openly asked him whether he really has a vision for Bengaluru. I have challenged him to give an account on the 10,000 crore central government aid for infrastructure development. I have questioned him on his silence on HAL being sidelined by the Central Government. I have questioned him on why Bengaluru has not made it to the first list of smart cities. I have questioned him on why he has been conspicuously absent from media debates. I am still waiting for his reply.”
False Agenda of BJP
Commenting on BJPs promise to make Bengaluru the ‘Pride of India’ and a city that can boast of international standards, he says, “If you go through the BJP manifesto, which was released last week, you will see that it is exactly the same as the last time. It lacks vision. There is no mention of how they will address the issue of job creation especially for the youth; there is neither accountability nor anything concrete to suggest how they will go about making Bengaluru as a city of international standards.”
“Some of the tall claims made by the BJP for Bengaluru in the Education Sector include the setting up of an IIT and the promise to set up a National Aeronautical University in Bengaluru as the city is an aviation hub of the country. Neither promise has been fulfilled. In the healthcare sector, a branch of AIIMS was to be set up in Bengaluru. The promise of insurance for the poor too was made. These have not been fulfilled either. In the Railway Sector, a bullet train connecting Bangalore to Delhi among other metros was promised to the people. Extension of train connectivity to Kempegowda International Airport was also promised. But that too has hit a roadblock. The other issue is the suburban rail connectivity. Suburban Rail as a mass urban transport has a big role to play in controlling Bengaluru’s traffic. Suburban rail connectivity will also help decongest the road traffic towards the airport. This project has been crawling for more than a decade. The proposals for this came well before 2010. But no definite steps have been taken to make it a reality” he says.
Elaborating further, he said that under safety and security BJP promised to set up a three digit number service for all emergency situations. There was also the promise to set up a special fund for rehabilitation of rape victims. Both were not fulfilled. He stated that the manifesto also pledged to seek a grant of Rs. 1000 crores from the Central Government to upgrade the existing sporting infrastructure in the city to International Standards with the aim to enable the city to host national and international sporting events. He adds that there was also the promise by BJP to set up a dedicated power plant at Bidadi to cater to the increasing energy needs of the city along with a special project to make Bengaluru a solar powered city to be undertaken by the Central Government. Nothing has happened on that front either. There are several unanswered questions. “What happed to that? Whatever little development that has taken place in the city has been done only after a series of protests by the people demanding that particular issue be resolved” he states.
Refering to the issue of Bellandur Lake, Rizwan said that Bengaluru has been known to make International Headlines as the Innovation Capital of the World. But unfortunately, over the last few years, Bengaluru has also made headlines for the wrong reasons – the issue of Bellandur Lake.
“We need to face the fact that Bangalore Central is one of the most neglected constituencies. There is an urgent need for an MP who is active and is willing to raise his voice in Parliament to address the issues that are being faced by the people. Bangalore Central needs an active MP who will be the voice of the people in the corridors of power in New Delhi. I think it is the duty of the MP to take up these pressing issues using the MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) funds. In the next few days, the Hon. Prime Minister of India . Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Bengaluru and address voters. I am quite sure that he will have nothing new to say as the current manifesto is almost a photocopy of the earlier one. I urge the people of Bengaluru to go out and vote and make an educated choice.” he said.
Arshad said BJP lose all his seats in bangalore and he reminded that BJP leaders promises made during 2014 Election such has AIIMS.IIT, Bullet Train has not be fulfilled even HAL has not got any offset order.They have not filled any promises of the people.
IT department has become puppet under the BJP rule and people whos houses and offices which they have raided.He said P C Mohan behind the IT raid.
“I think it is truly ‘Time for Change’ but at the Centre” Rizwan Arshad concludes.
