During the first day of the Haryana Assembly on Friday, Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) Naina Singh Chautala raised the issue of tubewell connections that has troubled farmers in her constituency of Badhra. “I am a daughter-in-law of your house. You are my uncle-in-law, and you must do this work,” the JJP legislator said to Ranjit Singh, the Electricity Minister and her uncle-in-law.
She raised this issue in the House as her son, Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala looked on. The government has emphasised solar tube well connections—a Central government scheme—over regular electric tube wells. The government provides about 75 percent subsidy of the total cost, and farmers only need to pay around 25 percent.
When Ms Chautala raised the issue of connections in Badhra, the Electricity Minister recounted the many ways that solar connections benefit farmers. There is also an increasing demand among farmers for these connections, he said. “For solar connections, even if the department opens the portal for just two hours, there is a long line of applicants.” Of the demanded 61,000 connections, around 34,000 farmers want solar connections while almost 27,000 farmers are interested in electric connections. He mentioned that electricity connections will be provided to those farmers who adopt micro-irrigation. Ms Chautala then responded that her constituency was “a sandy area, and solar connections are not successful here. Despite collecting money from farmers for more than five years, [farmers] have not received the connections. When their turn comes, pressure is being created to take solar connections.”
MLA Balraj Kundu and several other legislators, including Tosham’s Kiran Chowdhary supported this demand. They stated that electric connections were important wherever solar is not successful. The discussion ended on an emotional note when Naina called on familial ties. To this, Ranjit Singh responded, “What our daughter-in-law is saying, we must do. Give me the files, I will take action.”
Three generations of the Chautala family are at loggerheads over various issues tabled on the first day of the Vidan Sabha. The House saw its fair share of both heated arguments and lighter moments. While speaking during a calling-attention motion on losses caused by flood in the state, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Chautala took on his Deputy CM nephew. Abhay attempted to pressure Dushyant and referenced the Deputy CM’s visit to Samalkha. “Instead of helping the people there, [Dushyant] talked about getting an FIR lodged against the victims,” the elder Chautala claimed. Ranjit Singh then cut in to say, “The government has done excellent work to prevent floods and left no stone unturned to ensure the necessary arrangements in a time-bound manner.” Abhay Singh Chautala gained the support of Congress MLAs including Chowdhary and LoP Bhupinder Singh Hooda on this motion. Chautala, spurred on by Hooda, repeatedly asked Deputy Speaker Ranbir Gangwa if clarifications by the Deputy CM would be produced if he was not satisfied with his answers.