LUCKNOW: Starting his day early, Congress candidate from Lucknow East, Manoj Tiwari, reaches out to morning-walkers before embarking on door-to-door campaign in the constituency.
“He was full of enthusiasm when he was elected the president of the Lucknow Univesity Students’ Union back in 1994. His spirit remains the same after three decades. While most of us want to grab some more sleep, he is ready to hit the streets. He keeps coaxing us to gear up,” says Tiwari’s media campaign coordinator Ashish Awasthi.
“He is up against BJP stalwart Ashutosh Tandon in Lucknow East that’s why he does not want to leave any stone unturned,” says Awasthi.
Tiwari, a lawyer by profession, doesn’t forget to touch the feet of every elderly person he meets during the campaign and hugs those younger to him. He speaks briefly about the Congress party’s manifesto and what he will do for the constituency, if elected.
At Lohia Park in Gomtinagar, a morning walker, Ramesh Kumar (80), asks Tiwari about what his party would do to generate employment.
“Apart from filling all government vacancies, we will promote private entrepreneurship and strengthen rural employment guarantee schemes. We will bring a scheme to ensure decent minimum income for the needy,” he says.
In his door-to-door campaign, Tiwari, who was the vice-president of the Youth Congress in 2002-03, explains to people that Congress stands for brotherhood and communal amity.
He does not hesitate in flaunting that he is a native of Deoria when he comes across any person who belongs to Purvanchal (East UP). To women and girls, he explains Congress’s slogan ‘Ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon’.
Most people Tiwari comes across complain about civic issues and other problems like price rise. Premlata Verma, an 87-year-old woman in Vikasnagar, poses a question as soon as Tiwari touches her feet: “Beta jeetoge to mehengayi kam karoge? (Son, will you control price rise after getting elected.”
“Mataji, our party’s manifesto says that electricity bills will be halved and three LPG cylinders will be provided free in a year,” he says.
