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Kamal Kant Batra, 69, is running for parliament from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh. As a candidate of the Aam Aadmi Party. In 1999, her son, Captain Vikram Batra, was killed in the Kargil War. He was 24. "Yeh dil maange more," he had declared famously, appropriating the Pepsi tagline at the time to convey the courage of the Indian soldier.)My son sacrificed his life for the nation. I want to fight for a clean and corruption-free India.
His famous words-
Yeh Dil Maange More - these the nation can never forget. He said this when he was at Tiger Hill. This is my slogan too. It always will be
AAP is a new party in making, and I think they are picking up fast and will be extremely successful. We have never been offered a ticket by any other party. We would have thought about it, only if someone had come to us. In the last 15 years, nobody has asked about us. This is the first party which recognized us and considered our family fit for serving the nation. It's our clean image and the sacrifice of the family which they have recognized.
Arvind Kejriwal invited us to Delhi (to his residence). We met with his top leaders - Prashant Bhushan, Sanjay Singh, Yogendra Yadav and others. They had requested my husband Shri G.L. Batra to accept the ticket to contest from Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh). Since he has a heart condition, he showed his inability to take up the offer. They then asked me and I asked them to give me two days' time to think it over. We came to the conclusion that this would be an honour to our family, given to us by this new political party.
We are extremely angry and disappointed with how martyrs and ex-army men are treated. Just see how much they regard sportsmen who win medals. They are offered (MP) seats, but the soldiers who are sitting in harsh climatic conditions, on the border, in the mountains, in deserts - get nothing. What honor is given to the family of martyrs and retired soldiers? They are not taken care of. They are the protectors of the country but what is done for them? The widows of our martyrs are not taken care of, their kids go to government school, nobody bothers about them. Life is a struggle. If I get chosen as an MP, I will certainly make sure that army men, ex-army men are honoured, they are given good facilities. I will also raise my voice against other issues like unemployment, corruption and price rise.
Captain Batra was very patriotic. He was always ready to die for the country. He was a daredevil. He knew he would not come back (from Kargil) but he volunteered and went ahead. But I am pained at the way our government. treats the decorated soldiers of the country. Yes, the government gives Paramvir Chakra, Mahavir Chakra, Kirti Chakra, but what facilities are given to our soldiers other than this? Nothing!
Our son Captain Vikram Batra, recipient of the country's highest gallantry award Paramvir Chakra (posthumously) is a legendary soldier well known for the Kargil war of 1999. The stories of his bravery are known throughout the world. I have a lot of memories of my beloved son. He was very attractive and handsome.
I once visited his hostel in Chandigarh, when he was studying at University of Punjab. It was 4 am and he asked me what I wanted to eat. So I said that since the mess was close, we would not get anything at this odd hour. To which he replied that the mess was never closed for him. He went to the mess, and got me a plate of Maggi noodles and an omelette. When I asked how he had managed, he said that everyone at the mess was a friend and that they never said no to him for anything.. He was a very noble soul.
He once jumped from the bus to save a school girl. The girl fell down from a moving bus on the road, and to save her he too jumped. He then took her to the hospital for first-aid. He was extraordinary, he was exceptional.
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