In Moti Nagar, a BJP leader makes his poll debut: Meet Harish Khurana, son of ‘Dilli ka sher’ Madan Lal

Three decades later, Harish makes his predetermination debut, contesting from the aforesaid spot his begetter represented. Ahead of him lies the task of taking backmost Moti Nagar, which helium calls “Khurana ji ka karmkshetra (Khurana ji’s tract of power and work)”, from sitting AAP MLA and party’s campaigner Shivcharan Goyal.

On Friday, similar astir days, the 50-year-old BJP person has a engaged time up — from an lawsuit for retired radical to beryllium attended by BJP Meerut MP Arun Govil, much celebrated arsenic Ram from the TV bid Ramayana, successful a posh Kirti Nagar colony; a padyatra successful Harijan Camp; an lawsuit for traders astatine Orion Banquet Hall; different for organisation of Mahila Samridhhi Yojna certificates to women connected Rama Road; a gathering successful Sewa Basti; and an lawsuit successful Agarwal Bhawan successful East Punjabi Bagh.

He is moving precocious by fractional an hr for the padyatra. Yet, helium takes a abbreviated detour to connection prayers astatine a section temple close astatine the entranceway of the Harijan Camp, located down the Kirti Nagar main roadworthy which houses the upscale furnishings market. He past visits a paan store beside the temple. The proprietor shows him a representation of their fathers gathering each different — it shows the panwari’s begetter paying his respects to Madan Lal aft garlanding him with flowers.

As helium enters the jhuggi jhopdi cluster, large slogans rent the aerial amid drumbeats: “Harish Khurana aaye hai, nayi roshni laaye hai (Harish Khurana has come, helium has brought caller light). The procession moves astatine a snail’s gait done Harijan Camp, navigating breached drains, exposed pipelines, and constrictive streets lined by closely-packed houses with low-hanging tin roofs.

Madan Lal was Delhi’s Chief Minister betwixt 1993 and 1996. (Express photo)

It is simply a acold outcry from his sprawling location successful Kirti Nagar, but Harish calls the constituents his family. Along the way, section BJP workers present him to residents and helium garlands them with flowers. He stops a mates of times wherever determination is abstraction for radical to stitchery and fiercely pushes backmost against the AAP’s complaint that slums volition beryllium demolished if the BJP comes to power.

“Main vachan deta hoon, jab tak Harish Madan Lal Khurana zinda hai, ek bhi jhuggi nahi tootne dunga… Madan Lal Khurana ne toh jhuggiyan basayi thi (I committedness to you that till the clip I americium alive, not adjacent a azygous slum volition beryllium demolished. Madan Lal Khurana was the 1 who had acceptable up these slums),” helium assures the crowd, which launches into slogans of “Bhai Harish Khurana, zindabad (Long unrecorded Harish Khurana)”.

While determination has been a batch of absorption connected the sons of 2 different erstwhile main ministers contesting the elections — Sheila Dikshit’s lad and Congress person Sandeep Dikshit, and Sahib Singh Verma’s lad Parvesh Verma — Harish has his ain affluent bequest to number on.

In Kirti Nagar, arsenic the assemblage waits for Govil, 70-year-old Prem Kumar recounts Madan Lal’’s days arsenic a teacher. “I americium an aged person of his… erstwhile helium was a teacher astatine Bal Bharti,” says Kumar, who has retired from the Army.

At a tiny gathering of astir 50 radical successful Sewa Basti’s tiny assemblage park, portion the BJP person speaks, Shyam Kumar shares wherefore helium pledges his support. “I had driven Madan Lal Khurana ji’s car backmost successful the day… for astir 2 weeks. Harish ko humne jab vo chhota tha tab se dekha hai… Madan Lal ji ne hullo yeh basti bachayi thi (We person seen Harish erstwhile helium was young. Madan Lal ji has saved this slum then),” helium recollects.

A cardinal item successful Harish’s run speeches has been his ‘100-day plan’. From providing cleanable drinking h2o and fixing the sewer overflow occupation to repairing breached roads, helium promises to fulfill these wrong 100 days if helium is voted to power.

“Vade toh todne ke liye kare jaate hai. Vachan liye jaate hai ishwar ko sakshi rakhke (Promises are made to beryllium broken. But pledges are made with God arsenic the witness).” In return, helium besides asks for a “vachan” from the radical who person gathered for a nationalist gathering successful East Punjabi Bagh. “Vachan yeh hai, kya aap apne is bete ko aashirwad denge 5 tarik ko? Denge?… Aap apne vachan ki laj rakhna, yeh beta apne vachan ki laj rakhega. (Do you warrant to ballot for your lad connected 5 February? Will you?… If you support your guarantee, I volition support my guarantee…) Together, we volition marque Moti Nagar Assembly constituency the champion successful Delhi,” helium says.