With Lok Sabha Elections to be held in the sixth phase in Haryana on May 25 and announcement of all candidates on all 10 Lok Sabha seats by the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), the saffron party suffering back to back blows as half of the fielded candidates have been denied entry while canvassing in several villages recently by people citing negligence of farmers and lack of development works. Most of the BJP candidates being stopped from entering villages included the reasons namely why the Haryana government stopped farmers when they were heading towards Delhi through Haryana borders and why police resorted to lathi charge and use of water cannon on protesting farmers in several districts Karnal, Kaithal, Hisar and Haryana-Punjab borders. Thus, sloganeering especially in rural areas against the BJP candidates continues to add to their woes ahead of polls. There is a growing discontent and anger among farmers citing the Haryana government’s casual approach towards them .
As of now, the raising slogans by the farmers as well villages against the JJP leader and former Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala along with his father who holds the portfolio of the JJP National President and four of the BJP candidates including Ranjit Singh, Ashok Tanwar, MohanLal Badoli and Arvind Sharm from Hisar, Sirsa, Sonipat and Rohtak respectively continues to remain in discussions across the state. Political experts are of the opinion that with around one and a half months left for the elections, the way people are opposing the former Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala and his family, problems are sure to increase. He had to face farmers’ ire in Nada and Khanpur villages falling in Narnaund constituency and the farmers as well as the youth have opened front and started putting posters as well blocking his way on April 5. While villagers raised slogans against his father Ajay Chautala in Bhiwani on Tuesday. Further, in a reaction to protest by villagers, Dushyant asked them not to teach him politics which led to a verbal spat witnessed between Dushyant and protesting villagers.
In this row, BJP candidate Ranjit Singh Chautala from Hisar Lok Sabha seat is also facing continuous ire of farmers. It is pertinent to mention that on April 4 In village Shyamsukh, youth and farmers also sought his clarification over his absence from visiting farmers’ dharna in Hisar, where they are agitating for the release of compensation for their damaged crops. Reacting to farmers’ questions, Ranjit claimed that there was a Khalistani connection with Punjab farmers, who wanted to move towards Delhi which annoyed the protesting farmers and youth. Further, Chautala said that the farmers of the entire country are with BJP wanting to elect Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister for the third term. If you don’t want to vote for me, it’s your choice. Notably, Ranjit Singh had recently courted controversy commenting on the Brahmin community.
Similarly, the BJP contestant Ashok Tanwar from Sirsa who recently quit Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and joined BJP, had faced the public anger and triggering a wave of protests against Tanwar was witnessed against him adding to his woes before the polls. During his campaign last week, the farmers started raising slogans and posters against him after they received information of his proposed program in the villages including Khanora, Fatehpuri and Amani. During this, the farmers raised slogans against the government and Ashok Tanwar stating ‘’why there was lathi charge and bullets fired on the farmers going to Delhi. In Hijrawani village too, villagers and Tanwar were reportedly involved in heated arguments. The villagers accused him for not giving a grant of Rs 10 lakh during the Congress rule.
Similarly, Arvind Sharma, the BJP candidate from Rohtak constituency who has been fielded again on the seat after after a lot of brainstorming on this seat also had to face public ire repeatedly and in this regard people took on Arvind Sharma accusing him of being disappeared for last five years after he was elected an MP. In view of the public’s displeasure, somehow he managed to escape. Similarly, on April 3, in village Nandgarh of Jind, BJP candidate from Sonipat Lok Sabha seat, Mohanlal Badoli, was opposed in the village chaupal by the villagers citing pendency of development projects. In most villages, farmers have been putting up posters.It is noteworthy that with slogans like ‘’farmers are barred from entering Delhi, BJP is banned from entering villages’’. Not just posters, even videos of people questioning the BJP candidates fielded in polls from Haryana’s villages have gone viral on social media including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.