Locals, leaders remember Jaitley's matchless love for Amritsar, street food

As Amritsar was his ‘nanka’ (maternal grandparents’ home), the love of former Union minister Arun Jaitley for the city was matchless and he was also very fond of Amritsari street food and culture, recall locals.

Paying rich tributes to the BJP leader, locals remembered how he loved to move around in its streets here and interact with the people.

Local BJP leader Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, who was the covering candidate for him during the 2017 bypoll for Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, said that Jaitley acted as a bridge for the historic SAD-BJP alliance in Punjab.

“He was a visionary leader and was one of the tallest figures in the country’s political history,” said Chhina, adding that the nation lost a statesman-politician who was an asset not only for the party, but for the whole nation.

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“He used to love Amritsari street food and culture and knew all the eating joints in the walled city areas. His love for the city was matchless as Amritsar was his nanka (maternal parents home),” the BJP leader said.

Jaitley would always say that Hindu-Sikh unity was paramount in Punjab and was the votary for SAD-BJP political partnership, he said.

Local resident Gunbir Singh said that Jaitley used to cherish the food at Kesar Da Dhaba, Kultcha Land and Giani Tea where he would chat with the residents at length in Punjabi. He visited the Khalsa College here several times and loved to interact with the students.

Former Union minister Vijay Goel also paid rich tributes to his “multi-faceted” friend Jaitley on Saturday (August 24) and recalled the departed leader’s fondness for good food. Remembering Jaitley’s fondness for good food, he said, “He loved paranthas very much. Whenever he visited my haveli (Dharampura Haveli) at Chandni Chowk, he would ask for paranthas.”

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