‘My BJP rival forgotten his party, seeks votes only in name of Modi’

A three-term MLA and former MP, Raghuvir Meena is a popular name in the tribal constituency of Udaipur. Meena is member of the

Congress Working Committee

and known for his easy accessibility not only to party workers but also the public. Meena says wooing the voters with false promises is not his cup of tea. If he wins, Meena says, he will give priority to education and women empowerment projects, not to development initiatives like smart city where hardly Rs 35 crore has been spent. His vision also includes setting up processing plants and cottage industries to generate employment opportunities in rural areas


Why are you a better option than the sitting MP?
People have known me for years now. I have been serving them unconditionally whether I am in power or not. Political and ideological conflicts will continue forever but what actually matters at the end of the day is what kind of person one actually is. My intentions have always been pure and I have tried to address the issues confronting the public. Hence, I feel I am a better option. He (Arjun Lal Meena) has even forgotten the name of his party and now seeks votes on the name of Modi.

What is your priority in terms of local issues?
Education and women empowerment projects will be our prime concern this time. I will try to set up processing plants, cottage and small scale industries to generate employment opportunities in rural areas. Development is undoubtedly an important issue but it should not be like the smart city project of BJP. They claim Rs 1,400 crore, sanctioned for the smart city project, as a major achievement but hardly Rs 35 crore has been spent. Nothing visible has come up under the project. The condition of the potholed roads remains the same and sanitation in the city is in poor state.

What have been your achievements as an MP?
IIM came to Udaipur due to our efforts. Udaipur, which had poor railway connectivity, got long-distance and regular train connectivity to Bandra and

Ujjain

in my term. Rajiv Gandhi Tribal University was established to provide higher education facilities to the tribal youth. The state government sanctioned Rs 400 crore for the second phase of the ambitious Dewas project which would bring the Sabarmati waters to Udaipur lakes.

Will the results of the recent assembly elections help your prospects?
Congress won the assembly elections, but unfortunately we lost six of the eight seats in the region. I have been meeting people and can feel their pulse. People are really sorry over the defeat of the Congress candidates. They seem to be in a mood not to repeat the mistake. The public can judge the good and bad performances of governments and they won’t go by one-liners or ‘jumlas’ anymore.