'People are fighting this election and I'm fighting for their issues'

He was Congress's last Lok Sabha candidate to be announced in the state and Raj Babbar (71) admits it didn't leave him with enough time, but the three-time Lok Sabha MP is not complaining. Babbar says he is running a campaign focused on local issues and the support he has received has compensated for the lack of time. Excerpts from an interview:
You've been a Lok Sabha MP three times, but this is your first foray into Haryana.How has the campaign gone for you so far?
I'm not new to Haryana or Gurgaon. I campaigned in the last elections. The campaign has been very good, and people know me. I have relatives in Gurgaon. In fact, I have a small house here. People of Gurgaon are not alien to me, neither am I alien to them. They have been very responsive and they want me to win. In fact, people are fighting this . I am fighting for issues that concern the common man and I will win.
Your rivals call you an outsider. Do you think that's how people in Gurgaon will see you too?
He (MP and BJP candidate Rao Inderjit Singh) is not my rival. That's my first answer. He was my colleague and I am not fighting against any person or any party. However, for over 20 years, he has not been able to fix basic issues. The only Civil Hospital which was there has been broken down. The only bus stand is broken. There is no thought and concern for the common man. Gurgaon generates 60% of the state's revenue and what is it getting back? Corruption? Where is the money going? No development, no drinking water, no schools. They want everyone to go to private hospitals.
Rao Inderjit Singh is well entrenched here. Does Congress have the organisational machinery to take on the challenge?
I don't have any complaints. I have people here. All Congress people are here, and they are working very hard. Even Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party and comrades from the Communist Party are working for me. The people of this city have taken this election as their own election, and they have come out and they are fighting. How did the Agnipath scheme come into being despite you being the MP from here? The youth here feels cheated. From their birth, they aspire to join the Army. Gurgaon seat is a mine of soldiers and martyrs. You have given them a job for four years with Rs 22,000 as salary. Have you not noticed these things? Just because you are a minister in the Cabinet, will you compromise?
Do you think your candidature was announced too late, giving you little time to work here?
Yes, but I need to work harder. After June 4, I know what to do. I am focused. Even though I have less time, people have compensated. They are fighting with me and joining me, and even in those places I have not been able to reach, they are not complaining.
Haryana Congress has been beset with factionalism for years. Are you getting enough support?
I have no problem with anybody. I concentrate on my constituency and I'm happy here.
What do you think are the main issues in this election?
Mine is a very focused one - development in health, education, roads, water, waterlogging. You must be wondering if I'm fighting an MP election or a corporation election. But no, these are the basic things which people need, and they have not been getting them. They are running from pillar to post.
You were comprehensively defeated in your last election in 2014 by VK Singh in Ghaziabad. Now, you are in another BJP stronghold. What has changed between 2014 and now?
People want change. In 2014, too, people wanted change. They have seen the change, and now again they want a change. This is very evident and there is no need to explain it. There is mehngai (inflation), unemployment. These issues are not seen or spoken about, but when people go and press the ballot button, they are on their mind.
Now that you have been campaigning here, what would you say are the main problems that need addressing in Gurgaon?
When you enter Gurgaon from Delhi, it looks like you're entering Manhattan but as soon as you go to the interiors of Gurgaon, Badshapur, Rewari, it becomes the most backward area of NCR. The previous Congress government acquired land for RRTS and gave compensation, but even after 10 years, it has not started. Within Gurgaon, not one pillar has been added since BJP came to office. They have turned Gurgaon into a city of toll plazas. I will get rid of them. On what ground are they asking for votes?
Have you drafted a local manifesto?
I haven't found time to make a local manifesto. But if I win, I will make sure there are civic amenities, hospitals, roads, schools.
When you campaign, which Raj Babbar do people identify with more, the Bollywood star or veteran politician?
I'm a five-term member of Parliament. They recognise me as an actor and they listen to me as a political activist. I did not become a five-term MP (3 in LS, 2 in RS) only because I am an actor. I have some credentials. I worked and delivered.