Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Hisar, Bhavya Bishnoi, Monday said though some outfits have reduced the country's political discourse to caste and religion, his party's policies are about development and inclusiveness.
He said if important issues concerning farmers, education, employment, health, environment and gender equality are neglected, then it is the country and its people who are at a loss.
"The Congress's policies have always been inclusive and about development. Politics should be about issues of progress. It is very unfortunate that some outfits have reduced political discourse to caste and religion based discussions," the 26-year-old Congress nominee told PTI over phone.
Bishnoi, the son of senior Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi, is pitted against sitting MP and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) candidate Dushyant Chautala and Union minister Birender Singh's bureaucrat-turned-politician son, Brijendra Singh.
Asked about the issues in his constituency, Bishnoi said the BJP government had "neglected" Hisar and all sections were "fed up" with their government. The constituency did not gain much under sitting MP Dushyant Chautala as well, he added.
"Farmers in Hisar are feeling harassed. From wheat to mustard, crops are lying unsold in markets. There is a scarcity of drinking water in many areas and shortage of water for irrigation. There's also no employment in both cities and villages," he said.
Bishnoi, the grandson of former chief minister Bhajan Lal, claimed that despite Birender Singh having been a minister for 15 years, including when he was in the Congress, there was no development in Hisar.
"Being a Union steel minister, he brought no factories to Hisar. In fact, steel factories shut down under his tenure... Now, his son is only asking for votes in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name. Who will believe him," asked Bishnoi.
With just one week left for elections to ten Lok Sabha seats in Haryana, Bishnoi has been busy campaigning in the constituency.
He said this election was about who listens to the people's problems.
Bishnoi said that the prevailing agrarian crisis, lack of concrete solutions offered by his opponents, and the fact that he is the only candidate born and brought up in Hisar will help him emerge victorious.
"I believe in solutions. I've created India's first constituency-specific manifesto that doesn't just list promises, but also shows how I can fulfil those vows. I think an MP should be a facilitator, bringing the best talent from across the world to his or her constituency to fix problems," he said.
The young politician has received support from the top leaders across the Congress and the Jindals, who are prominent in Hisar's industrial circles, have endorsed him.
On Sunday, Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu held a rally to support Bishnoi in Hisar, and on Wednesday Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will address his campaign rally in Hisar.
"I'm incredibly grateful for Priyanka ji's support. She's an inspiration for all young people in politics today," Bishnoi said.
On comments that his lack of experience would be a disadvantage, Bishnoi said his upbringing in Hisar, combined with his education from London School of Economics and Oxford, ensured that he would bring much-needed change to the constituency.
"I'm young, but I'm also driven. I'm not here for the short run. I aim to get the best and brightest minds to radically transform Hisar," said Bishnoi.
One of his promises is a bold attempt to make Hisar the capital of Haryana. "My grandfather, Chaudhary Bhajan Lal ji, promised to make Hisar, the capital of the state. We will try to fulfill his dream," said Bishnoi.
Currently, Chandigarh is the common capital of both Haryana and Punjab.
All the 10 constituencies of Haryana will go to polls in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 12.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)