With sitting MP Harsh Vardhan's name n🍨ot figuring from his Chandni Chowk constituency in the list of candidates announced by the BJP for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, he on Sunday announced bowing out of active politics.
In a long post on X, Vardhan said he will return to his roots after over 30 years of a "glorious electoral career".
With sitting MP Harsh Vardhan's name n🍨ot figuring from his Chandni Chowk constituency in the list of candidates announced by the BJP for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, he on Sunday announced bowing out of active politics.
In a long post on X, Vardhan 🔥said he will return to his roots ꦍafter over 30 years of a "glorious electoral career".
Looking back at his journey,♔ he said, "I shall continue to pursue my work against tobacco and substance abuse, against climate change and teaching simple and susta♒inable lifestyles."
"After over thirty years of 🥀a glorious electoral career, during which I won all the five assembly and two parliamentary elections that I fought with exemplary margins, and held a multitude of prestigious positions in the party organisation and the governments at the state and centre I finally bow out to return to my roots," he said💟 on X.
In the first list of 195 candidates declared by the BJP, Prav🦄een Khandelwal has been fielded from Chandni Chowk, a seat which Vardhan holds at present🔯.
The former Union minister said service to mankind was his motto when he joi🐬ned MBBS in GSVM Medical College, Kanpur 50 years back with a desire to help the poor and needy.
"A swayamsewak at heart, I have always been an ardent admirer of Deen Dayal Upadhyay ji’s Antodaya philosophy of stꦛriving to serve the last man in the queue. It was at the insistence of the then RSS leadership that I jumped into the electoral fray.
"They could⛄ convince me only because for me politics meant opportunitꦐy to fight our three main enemies - poverty, disease and ignorance," he said in the same post.
The MP said he had twice served as Delhi health min🍌ister and Union health 𓆉minister.
"Without remorse, I must say th𝓀at it has been a marvellous innings during which m🌠y passion to serve the common man was quenched. I served as Delhi Health Minister as well as twice Union Health Minister, a subject close to my heart.
"I had the rare opportunity besto❀wed upon me to be able to first work towards creating a Po𒅌lio free Bharat and then to take care of the health of millions of our countrymen grappling with the dreaded COVID-19 during its first and second phases," he recalled.
He said it was a great privilege to work with Prime ꦏMinister Nar☂endra Modi.
"I must acknowledge that I consider it a great privilege to have worked closely with the most dynamic Prime Minister in India’s history, Shri Narendra Modi ji. The country wishes him ꧑a heroic re🔯turn to power again," he said.
In the long history of mankind, only a few have been granted the privilege to defend their people in hours of gravest danger, he said, adding tha💞t he can proudly claim that he did not shirk responsibility, but welcomed it.
"My gratitude𝕴 to Ma Bharati, my reverence to my f♓ellow citizens and my obeisance to the values enshrined in our Constitution. And yes, that was the biggest privilege that Bhagwan Shri Ram bestowed upon me, the privilege of being able to save human lives !!" he said.
He signed off with 🌼the famous lines by Robert Frost.
"I move on, I really can’t wait. I have promises to keep .. and miles to go before I sleep !! I have a dream .. and I๊ know your blessin🦩gs shall always remain with me . My ENT clinic at Krishna Nagar too awaits my return," he said.
In 2014, Vardhan had defeated Kapil Sibal, then with the Congress, to win the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha se♏at while in the 2019 polls, he trounced Congrꦏess' Jai Prakash Agarwal.
(With PTI inputs)