Speaking at Democracy Wall, the PWD minister admits there are ‘leakages’ in the construction sector that need to be fixed.
New Delhi: Punjab’s PWD and information technlogy minister Vijay Inder Singla insists his party leader, Rahul Gandhi, has “no lust for power”; instead, he wants the youth to get more involved with politics.
Singla was in conversation with Chitleen K. Sethi, associate editor at ThePrint, at the ninth edition of Democracy Wall.
Democracy Wall is a monthly free speech campus initiative organised by ThePrint in collaboration with Facebook. The event was held at Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar. Actor-singer Ayushmann Khurana, politician Bhagwant Mann, rapper Feyago, comedian Abijit Ganguly, and online security expert Arnika Singh were the other speakers at the event.
Singla, now 46, started his political career as part of the Youth Congress and later spearheaded the first Youth Congress elections in Punjab (which were replicated across the country). He recalled the time he contested his first election — for the 2009 Lok Sabha — and paid tribute to Gandhi’s contribution to the cause of the youth at the time.
“In 2009, 70 youngsters were given the opportunity to fight the elections. It is also when I became an MP. Prior to that, I had neither contested a legislative assembly election, nor a corporate body election. The main fulcrum of the Youth Congress elections — which started in Punjab and went to other states from there — was to encourage youth and enable them to participate in the future,” Singla said.
“Rahul Gandhi could’ve pushed for himself to be the PM candidate in the 2009 elections, but he didn’t. He has no lust for power,” he said.
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Construction and corruption
Singla was asked about the enormous amounts of money spent on construction, with little to show for. He replied: “There is definitely an impression that a lot of money that needs to be spent on good roads and good buildings isn’t being utilised to the fullest.”
He also admitted: “There definitely are leakages within the system that need to be checked. But, ever since I joined the PWD, I’ve ensured that there is emphasis on quality of construction and limiting the leakages prevalent.”
He also said there is a greater need for public participation in ensuring good quality roads. “People who are living in that area need to start raising questions. They can email and SMS me any time. Good quality roads in Punjab are a must,” Singla said.
Also read: The youth needs to see politics as a way of life, not just as a career
IT parks needed
The minister also spoke extensively about the need for IT parks in Punjab.
“Earlier, IT parks were created in states like Karnataka and Maharashtra. But now these places have become almost like overgrown villages. So, now people want to move out to places like Mohali, which has an airport, has the prerequisite space and infrastructure,” he said.
“Young people of Punjab deserve jobs in these IT parks. And we must ensure there are enough opportunities for them across the state.”