We are in the midst of the world’s largest democratic exercise and as we move further with the elections, NewsX has taken the innitiative to provide the people with the actual ground reports right from the contesting candidates themselves.
On this interview we venture into Kota one of the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in Rajasthan which has been a BJP stronghold. The constituency has a population of 1.5 million, with 60.31% popuation living in the urban areas and 39.69% lives in rural.
The SC’s constitue 12.21% of the population. Kota is a Hindu majority constituency with about 81.15% Hindu population and 12.51% Muslims. In 2019 Lok Sabha elections 1.2 million people qualified to vote, of which 69.84% turned out to vote.
Joining us today on ‘The Road Stop’, a NewsX exclusive, is Om Birla who is an Indian law maker and social worker serving as the 17th Lok Sabha speaker since 2019. He has served as the Lok Sabha MP from Kota-Bundi in Rajasthan since 2014.
He was also an MLA from Kota south assembly constituency from 2003 to 2014. He further joined the BJP’s youth wing and became involved in student politics, and also went on to become the organisations National President.
The insightful conversation with Om Birla commenced with his warm wishes to the people on the auspicious occasion of Mahavir Jayanti. He then proceeded to elaborate on the core principles and tenets of Lord Mahavir, emphasizing the importance of non-violence, peace, and love—a message that should resonates deeply with the people.
On being asked what his roadmap is for the next 5 years for his constituency Kota, he replied, “I have worked with utmost dedication towards the development of Kota and we have taken the development in Kota to the next level” . He further elaborated that they have successfully implemented all the schemes from the central government in Kota be it highways, passport offices, medical colleges and sports complexes they have managed to deliver it to the people.
Furthermore, the discussion delved into the unique challenges posed by the first election following the COVID-19 pandemic, and how has he managed to deliver to people and the students that come from outside to Kota in such a strenous time, to this he replied, “During the pandemic there was an acute shortage of oxygen and when the situation worsened we reached out to the central government and ensured that there is no lack of oxygen cylenders in all of Rajasthan. We also arranged oximeters, medicines and ambulances to safeguard people’s safety”.
He reiterated the motto of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and expressed how everyone came together as a family to confront the challenges posed by COVID-19. He further elaborated on the pivotal role Kota played in facilitating the safe return of stranded students during the pandemic by lifting restrictions on their movement and arranging for their journey back home.
In the end we asked if the people of Kota are proud that the very speaker of Lok Sabha hails from Kota, to this he responded, “Definetly, as this is the first time a Lok Sabha speaker is chosen from Kota and its the blessings of the people that has made it possible.”
Located on the banks of chambal river Kota is one of the largest cities in Rajashan. Kota is a coaching hub for students aspiring to crack India’s top most engineering exams. Kota is a popular tourist destination as well famous for its paintings, museums and palaces. The conversation helped us gauge into the wider issues of the Kota constituency in Rajasthan and in an endearing discussion with Om Birla we were able to dig deeper into the most pressing aspects of the constituency. As we move forward with the elections, further results are awaited.
Watch the full video on our NewsX YouTube channel.
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