Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday said the next election in the state would not be about who forms the next government in the state, but would be to save Haryana. He said when Congress government comes, we will make Haryana number one again.
Addressing the huge public protest rally organized in Machhrauli village of Badli constituency in Jhajjar, Hooda said that Haryana, which was number one in per capita income, per capita investment, providing employment and better law and order, has today reached number one in inflation, crime and unemployment. A large number of people were standing in the field since morning despite the severe cold. The rally was also addressed by Haryana Congress President Ch. Udaibhan and MP Deepender Hooda.
Hooda launched a full-frontal attack on the state government and said that the BJP_JJP government brought Skill Employment Corporation with only temporary jobs and low salaries, with neither pension nor job guarantee. He said that while the Congress government built stadiums in schools, colleges and villages throughout Haryana, this government closed schools, destroyed stadiums.
“Today there are no teachers in schools, no doctors in hospitals and no employees in offices. The BJP had promised to double the farmers’ income by 2022. Income did not double, costs doubled or tripled. The prices of fertilizers and pesticides increased three times.
Hooda said there is already a massive wave in favour of the Congress in the state. “When the Congress government comes to power, first the pension for the elderly in Haryana will be Rs 6000. The old pension scheme of the employees will be implemented. We will get rid of hassles of Family Identity Card and Family ID, and we would restore the ration cards or pensions of those whose facilities have been cut,” he said.
“We will guarantee MSP to the farmers. About 2 lakh government posts are lying vacant, after the formation of our government, we will give permanent jobs on 2 lakh vacant posts. Every family will be given 300 units of electricity, free of cost. Every family will be given a gas cylinder for Rs 500. Will complete the backlog of backward class, increase the income limit of creamy layer from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 10 lakh,” he said and also promised that the Congress party will prepare a separate program for women and it will be implemented in the manifesto.
Addressing the rally, State Congress President Ch. Udaibhan said the BJP government has pushed the entire Haryana in the debt trap. “Today the state has a debt of more than Rs 4 lakh crore,” he said.
Enumerating the development works done during the Hooda government of Congress, he said that during the Congress government, 81.5 km of metro line was laid in Haryana and four big power plants, and one nuclear power plant were established in Haryana. “The present government has not added a single unit of electricity generation capacity,” he said.
The state president said under the Hooda government, 12 universities and 6 medical colleges were established in the state, railway lines and national highways were built, electricity bills worth Rs 1600 crore waived off, cooperative loans worth Rs 2200 crores were written off, loans of SC and Backward Corporations worth Rs 485 crores were waived off. He said plots of 100 yards were given to 3.82 lakh poor families, the government gave scholarship to 22 lakh children. Keshkala board and Mati Kala board were made for the backward classes.
He said that today Haryana has become the most unsafe state in terms of women safety and crimes against SC society. “The time has come to overthrow this government,” he said.
Udaibhan said the present government of Haryana has used the Family Identity Card as a weapon and cut off the pension of 5 lakh elderly people and widows. “Yellow ration cards of 9.60 lakh families were cut off. The government could not spend Rs 405 crore received by the Central Government under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. The government surrendered the grant of 1,30,879 houses. They merged 4800 government schools, 498 schools were closed, 538 schools do not have toilets for girls, 1047 schools do not have toilets for boys. 8640 school rooms are required, but instead of fulfilling this need, the government surrenders the education budget of Rs 10626 crore,” he said.
As soon as MP Deepender Hooda reached the stage to address, people welcomed him with loud slogans and thunderous applause.