Responding to the allegations made by his detractors, who he said have been raking up the 'Railgate', former railway minister and the Congress party's parliamentary candidate from Chandigarh Pawan Kumar Bansal said they were "acting like a kangaroo court", judging him without any evidence and attempting to destroy his reputation.
While interacting with reporters at Congress Bhawan in Sector 35, he said a sustained vilification campaign had been going on against him, while wholly ignoring the facts, referring to the 'Railgate' affair.
“I was traumatised for 10 months and its hurts badly when you are victimised for no fault of yours even if true facts emerge later. It was because I had the support of my well-wishers that I came clean. The party high command, reposing faith in me, gave me party ticket for the forthcoming elections" said Bansal.
Claiming that the scandal was engineered by the BJP, he said “The facts of the case were also given to the media, which established all the allegations levelled against me were false,” he added.
On being asked about the two female candidates pitted against him, he said, "I respect women, but elections are contested on issues. I feel that the women candidates in the fray do not even know the names of colonies and villages. How then will they know of the problems people suffer? With me, it's not a case of “I came, I saw, I conquered.” I take every election as a challenge and am confident that people of city know me and about my work," the former rail minister said.
{{/usCountry}}On being asked about the two female candidates pitted against him, he said, "I respect women, but elections are contested on issues. I feel that the women candidates in the fray do not even know the names of colonies and villages. How then will they know of the problems people suffer? With me, it's not a case of “I came, I saw, I conquered.” I take every election as a challenge and am confident that people of city know me and about my work," the former rail minister said.
{{/usCountry}}He claimed that the Congress would go to the people with issues, not allegations.
“It's for people to see what we have done for the city, its colonies and villages in the last five years", he said, listing out several developmental projects in health, education and city infrastructure, which he claimed would help him gain a comfortable victory.
Among others present on the occasion were Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee president BB Bahl, party leader Ram Pal Sharma, city mayor Harphool Chander Kalyan, former mayors Subhash Chawla, Pardeep Chhabra and Ravinder Pal Singh, former councillor Devinder Singh Babla and Harmohinder Singh Lucky as well as several MC councillors.