Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu’s wife Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu who has applied for candidature from Chandigarh speaks to Hina Rohtaki about her vision for the city.
What do you think about Manish Tewari’s candidature? Even Pawan Bansal is eyeing the ticket. What makes you a better bet?
I feel a woman should be given the UT seat. Besides, Chandigarh is a compact seat. Second, my educational status. Manish Tewari has never been here…. actually, it doesn’t matter even if 10 people apply. He had applied from Ludhiana and when he was asked to fight, he didn’t fight. I don’t worry if I get the seat or not, when you come into politics, you are working for people. I have offered myself to serve the people of Chandigarh.
Chandigarh is actually a city of migrants. Mr Pawan Bansal too came here from Tapa Mandi. Everyone is a migrant here.
What is the one big problem of Chandigarh you promise to solve?
We are fighting brain drain here. Chandigarh has become a place where children come, study and move out. My concern is to retain these children and boost the economy.
I have been working in Chandigarh for two years now. The present MP Kirron Kher didn’t have a vision for the city. People come to me and tell me that they want a film institute here as Mumbai is very expensive. Being from the industry, Kher could have brought a film institute here. Punjab and Chandigarh have a lot of talent. Our children move out even for doing hotel management, so my concern is to retain my children here.
Why should you be given the ticket?
My work…my connect with people and a woman face. If you want to cover 50 per cent of the population, if you talk of women empowerment, if you want a strong woman leader with a bright vision, it’s me. I want to fill in the blanks for what these people have not done in Chandigarh.
