BJP on Agra LS seat since ’09, but key issues remain same

Agra: Union minister of state and Agra MP Satya Pal Singh Baghel is confident of retaining the seat once again. Before Baghel, BJP candidate Ramshanker Katheria served two terms as Agra MP. Since 2009, BJP has won the Agra Lok Sabha seat thrice consecutively but poll issues remain the same election after election, say local residents.Once the capital of the Mughal empire, Agra has had a glorious past but residents say their demands for the region’s future growth have not been seriously considered. Be it demand for a high court bench, an international airport, barrage on river Yamuna, potato processing unit or international sports stadium, all await clearance.Agra has over 5000 small footwear manufacturing units but they are all shutting down. At the ongoing footwear expo, organised in Agra by the Indian Footwear Development Council, industry experts raised concerns that despite being a hub of shoe business in the country, Agra had not been able to create a global brand of its own. “The demand has fallen since the Covid-19 pandemic. We are still struggling with GST compliance. The central govt has mandated a BIS licence for 24 footwear products. It is hard for small manufacturers to fulfill the set parameters of licensing. The interest of big manufacturers is being preserved. Over 4 lakh people work in small footwear factories in Agra yet public representatives have never bothered to address our concerns,” said shoe manufacturing unit owner, Mohd Shahnawaz.During elections, the common slogan in Agra is ‘Jo paryatan ki baat karenga, woh Agra par raj karega’ (One who talks about tourism will rule Agra)’. However, despite having about 200 protected heritage sites, tourism is focused on Taj Mahal alone. Besides Taj Mahal, tourists visit Agra Fort or Fatehpur Sikri and return by evening hours.“Rooms remain unoccupied for most part of the year. Following lack of amenities, poor traffic management and no major attraction in the evening, tourists do not prefer to stay overnight. There has been lack of concrete efforts by the public representatives and authorities to promote ecological/rural and religious tourism in the district,” said Sushil Dubey, a hotel owner. In Nov 2013, PM Modi had spoken about the need for a potato processing unit in Agra while addressing a mega rally at Kothi Meena Bazaar .BKU district president Rajveer Lawaniya said, “We were happy that PM addressed the long pending issue but owing to the lackadaisical approach by two BJP MPs and nine BJP MLAs in the district, potato processing unit remains a dream for farmers.”