Chandigarh, Apr 25 (PTI) Shiromani Akali Dal candidate from Amritsar Lok Sabha seat Anil Joshi is banking on the work done by him as a minister in the erstwhile SAD-BJP government to clinch the seat in the June 1 election.
Former BJP MLA Joshi, a Hindu face, has been fielded by the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal from the Sikh-dominated parliamentary constituency — considered a Congress pocket borough.
Joshi was elected Amritsar North MLA in 2007 and 2012 on a BJP ticket and was the state’s local bodies and medical education and research minister in the SAD-BJP regime from 2012 to 2017.
In 2021, Joshi was expelled from the BJP after he criticised the party for “mishandling” the farm agitation. Thereafter, he joined the Akali Dal.
“I am seeking votes based on the work I have done. People trust me,” 60-year-old Joshi told PTI.
Calling himself a ‘sewadar of Amritsar’, Joshi pitched for reviving trade with Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah border land route to ensure the overall development of Amritsar as well as Punjab.
As a minister, I ensured new roads, parks, and cycle tracks were built and sewerage work was carried out in Amritsar, Joshi said, adding that it was due to his efforts that the holy city got an Indian Institute of Management.
He targeted Congress candidate and sitting MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla and AAP nominee Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal — a minister in the Bhagwant Mann government — and asked if they have done anything for the welfare of the people of Amritsar.
“On whichever road and in whichever park you stand, people will say it was built by Anil Joshi,” said the SAD candidate, asserting that he was committed to ‘Gurunagari’, referring to Amritsar as the Golden Temple is located there.
Joshi also took a swipe at BJP candidate and former diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu for his claims about the export potential of goods from Amritsar.
“He (Sandhu) talks about the export of Amritsar’s famous ‘papad wadi’. Be it Canada, the UK, or the US, wherever Punjabis are settled, ‘papad wadi’ is already available in stores. It is already being exported,” said Joshi.
The former MLA pitched for reviving trade with Pakistan.
“If trade is revived through the Attari-Wagah land route, it will be beneficial for Punjab,” he said.
He also said there is a lot of potential for promoting the information technology and tourism sectors in Amritsar.
“People understand that the SAD is the only party which can bring development in the state” he said, adding that it was only the Akal Dal government that carried out development in Punjab.
The Amritsar seat is considered a stronghold of the Congress.
It is currently represented by Aujla who defeated Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Aujla had also won this seat during the 2017 bypoll.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Congress party’s Amarinder Singh had defeated BJP’s Arun Jaitley. PTI CHS VSD RHL
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.