My dream to contest from Chandigarh is dead, it’s Bansal turf now, says Tewari

Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari on Saturday stated that he would demand that the Chandigarh-Ludhiana rail link be completed at the earliest. While Chandigarh MP Pawan Kumar Bansal has taken over as the Minister for Railways, Ludhiana is Tewari's constituency. The rail link has been incomplete for a decade.

The work on the rail link began in 2000. The project is divided into three phases, of which two are complete. Tewari said that he would take up the demand with Bansal to ensure that the work was soon completed.

At a press meet, Tewari said that his wish to contest from Chandigarh had died. "If I say that I did not wish to contest from Chandigarh, I will be wrong. But the wish has died. Pawan Bansal is an MP from here and is also the Railways Minister. I cannot interfere with the work of senior colleagues," he said.

He added that he would like to continue to represent his constituency, Ludhiana, from where people had reposed faith in him. The final decision, he said, lied with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

Union Minister Pawan Bansal has been contesting from the city since 1991. He is enjoying the third consecutive term as the city's MP. In fact, over the past several years, the city has been witnessing a clash between Bansal, Satya Pal Jain and Harmohan Dhawan in the Lok Sabha elections.

Commenting on the bureaucratic set up in Chandigarh, he said that the distribution of the posts should be as per the formula that was made when Chandigarh became a Union Territory.

Tewari also visited his alma mater St John's School, Sector 26. He said the visit brought back a lot of memories that he had cherished for years.

ALSO READ

Life of Pi singer Bombay Jayashri to perform in Chandigarh

Theories of Sino-India war far-fetched, says ex-Army chief

HC rejects Punjab plea on Bhattal’s govt house

Civic body moots Rs 616-cr budget, discussion today