Udaipur MP Report Card: Arjunlal Meena pins hopes on work, faces fight from Congress, BTP

Arjun Meena has been pitted against his cousin, Congress’s Raghubir Meena, in a repeat of the 2014 election contest. In 2014 Arjun Meena had defeated his political rival by more than 3 lakh votes.

Arjunlal Meena, a low-profile leader, was a surprise pick for the BJP’s MP candidate from Udaipur in 2014. The party was facing difficulty in finding a suitable candidate. Meena who was well-educated and also close to then chief minister Vasundhara Raje got the ticket.

Arjunlal Meena (HT)

Meena, 55, has been fielded again by the BJP and he says he is confident of winning a second term on the basis of the work done by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Arjun Meena has been pitted against his cousin, Congress’s Raghubir Meena, in a repeat of the 2014 election contest. In 2014 Arjun Meena had defeated his political rival by more than 3 lakh votes.

This time around there were other candidates in the fray for the Lok Sabha ticket. However, Arjun Meena’s closeness to former chief minister Vasundhara Raje and his image as an accessible and active leader in his constituency swung things his way.

Meena who holds MCom and BEd degrees hails from Masaro ki Obri village of Udaipur district. He was a statistical inspector in the directorate of economics and statistics. He joined the BJP in 2003 and was fielded from the Salumber assembly constituency which he won. He lost the assembly election in 2008 but won the MP election in 2014 from Udaipur.

Being tribal-dominated, the Udaipur constituency has long been plagued by underdevelopment. Several remote villages in the hilly areas do not have roads or electricity. Access to schools, colleges and health centres is a problem.

Tribal leaders say both the Congress and the BJP have denied development funds to the tribal areas.

The 2019 Lok Sabha elections could see an interesting political battle with traditional rivals BJP and Congress being challenged by the newly formed Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP), which says it has raised the voices of tribal people who have been ignored by both the parties.

BTP state president Velaram Ghoghra said, “Our fight is for the rights of our people and to preserve our culture. Both parties have used tribals as a vote bank, but then ignored us.”

Meena, however, differs. “It was late Bhairon Singh Shekhawat who as chief minister gave reservation to tribals and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje’s government implemented this,” he said.

“Today people in tribal areas have pucca houses, gas cylinders, and toilets. Their condition has improved a lot. The BJP has done what it had promised. We are not asking for votes without having done any work.”

Asked about anti-incumbency, Meena said he is confident of victory. “In the assembly elections, the BJP won seven of eight assembly constituencies in Udaipur. People will vote on the basis of works done by prime minister Narendra Modi’s government.”

Regarding his performance, he said he has fulfilled a long-pending demand and established a new passport office in Udaipur.

Meena said he also pushed for six-laning of the Udaipur-Ahmedabad national highway, which is a ₹6500-crore project. “I raised the issue in parliament. I put up questions in zero hour and also put up the demand to the minister,” he said.

Among other works, he cites the Rs750-crore Udaipur bypass project sanctioned and on which work is underway, a new Udaipur-Chittorgarh highway and gauge conversion of the Ahmedabad-Udaipur line at a cost of ₹2500 crore. He also got established an ESI Hospital with 100 beds capacity in Udaipur.

Jaiprakash Mali, an analyst from Udaipur, said Meena’s tenure has been a mixed bag. “The Udaipur-Ahmedabad and Jhadlo-Khedbrahma national highway projects were sanctioned during the UPA government but funds were released under the BJP government. However work is going slow.”

He said not much progress has been made on the Udaipur Smart City project either and lack of funds is stalling the project.

Mali said the MP had not sanctioned or developed any major water scheme. “Tribal areas are largely dependent on agriculture but there is no scheme to cater to the water needs of the area.”

Maroof Ahmed, a restaurant owner, said Udaipur being a tourist city did not have adequate flight services. “There has been a long-pending demand of starting international flights from Udaipur as it is a prominent tourist spot. But we have only got empty assurances so far.”

Meena claims his performance in parliament has been good. His attendance stands at 86% and he has been active in putting up questions. He asked 358 questions and participated in 82 debates. He says he raised important issues of the constituency such as establishing a high court bench in Udaipur and including Udaipur in B2 category city. He has also demanded a scheme for development of the Ayad River and for conservation of lakes in Udaipur. He sought budget for development of a Sport Complex in Udaipur and setting up a Kendrya Vidyalaya in Kherwada district, Meena says.

Interview

‘NH 6-laning, gauge conversion my major works’

In an interview with HT, Arjun Meena talks about the works he has done for his constituency. Excerpts:

Q. What were the high points of your five-year term?

A. I have worked for the benefit of the people of Udaipur. Some of my major works were gauge conversion from Udaipur to Ahmedabad, construction of 6-lane Udaipur-Ahmedabad highway, and bringing a passport office to Udaipur.

Q. One thing you wished to do as MP but could not. Why?

A. I wanted to bring a high court bench to Udaipur as it is one of the major demands of the people. I raised the issue several times in parliament but could not get it passed. If I become an MP again, I will try my best to fulfil this demand.

Q. Why should people re-elect you?

A.I have worked a lot in favour of people. They have given me their love and respect. I am confident I will win the elections again.

Q. How was your experience in parliament?

A. It was a satisfying experience. I met many other leaders and got to learn a lot. I was able to contribute to the development of my constituency.