PUNE - MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE ……

Campaigning for the 15th Lok Sabha elections stops today at 5 pm and

I thought I should set the record straight, once and for all.

As I mentioned earlier, I have been at the brunt of attacks on various subjects from my worthy opponents. But I am surprised and amused that their only agenda seems to be ‘Kalmadi bashing’, attacking me and my ‘supposed’ non performance.

It is very disturbing to hear words like ‘non performance’, ‘any MP can get funds from the Centre’, ‘the manifesto is the same as last year’, ‘this is a PMC manifesto’ etc, especially after having worked so hard in the last 5 years. I can assure my worthy opponents that it is not as simple as it seems and it is certainly not easy to achieve what I have. The continuous follow up required in the various corridors of Parliament to procure these funds is mind boggling and one has to use every avenue, every contact and goodwill to get these benefits, especially since every constituency is vying for them. In fact, Mr Jaipal Reddy mentioned in the Lok Sabha that it was only due to my perseverance and persistent follow up with him that he had to release these funds. I am told that I am the only MP who has managed to get large funds to the tune of Rs 2500 crores from the Centre.

I can only say that I have worked hard to achieve overall development of Pune and to get the necessary funds and benefits for my constituency. My competition is with myself. I have a track record and performance which speaks for itself. I do admit that progress in some areas is not satisfactory, but as they say, Rome was not but built in a day.

There are some important plans in the pipeline at various stages that will prove to be instrumental in making Pune a city with adequate infrastructure and civic amenities to tide us up to 2020 and beyond!

I just hope that you will give me chance to follow them through and reach the Vision 2020 goal !

I urge you to make an informed choice.

Please do make an effort and come out and vote on the 23rd April 2009.
Suresh Kalmadi

Finally, my own Blog!

As I sit down to pen my thoughts, for the first time through an electronic medium on a blog, I feel I have advanced a little technologically!!!

My children and party workers have been telling me forever to create a blog, but my other responsibilities take too much of my time and I never got down to doing it! However, after having been told the benefits and reach of this medium, especially with the youth, I finally decided to allocate some time to myself!

It feels good to pen down my thoughts for the day…. the good parts, the not so good parts. My schedule now is crazy…. Meetings after meetings, speeches after speeches, hand shakes, press conferences, padyatras, rallies…. Its mind boggling! I kind of enjoy it though.. gives me a chance to meet so many people in every part of the city. It is a profoundly humbling experience when men, women, youngsters come up and shake my hand, thank me for any little thing that I’ve done that has eased their lives, bless me, hug me, touch me and wish me a long life. Their actions are genuine and come from the heart and that is what gives me the extra adrenaline to continue doing what I do with the same drive and determination. I do get really tired sometimes but my training as an Indian air force pilot comes in handy and I can push my mind and body to work more. At such times I always remember my father, who worked tirelessly for long hours especially when it came to social work.

Sometimes I also experience brickbats. It feels terrible to hear uncomplimentary things about oneself… I am human after all. But when I think about it, I realize that someone will be unhappy about not receiving some benefits and the displeasure is absolutely justified. I do try to rectify the lacunae.

One of the things I especially enjoy during elections is ‘hanging out’ with the youngsters. It is incredible how aware and well read they are about everything. The exposure that they get through the electronic media is incredible and they use this medium to the hilt. They come up with great, forward looking new ideas and suggestions. Interaction with them makes my mind alert and the fatigue disappear!

Another good thing about elections is that I am in Pune more and get to spend more time with the family. Meera is a silent pillar of strength and makes sure I eat on time and eat the ‘right things’. Nandita, my daughter in law and Sumeer, my son make sure we all eat together. Payal, my daughter and Aditya, her husband, also join us most of the time. Everyone is so busy in their respective careers, it feels nice that they take time out for me.