Ambala, Sep 25 (IANS): Former Haryana Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Hooda on Wednesday said the state ruling BJP “has anti-constitution and anti-reservation mindset and ate away reservations of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Campaigning for the party’s candidate Pooja Chaudhary in the Mulana Assembly constituency, Hooda slammed the BJP for its efforts to end reservations and reduce access to education. “The BJP has looted the reservation of Dalits and backward classes by ending permanent jobs and implementing Haryana Kaushal Rojgar Nigam,” he said at a public meeting in Barada.

“Similarly, by closing 5,000 government schools and handing over the government education system to private hands, the BJP has given the biggest blow to the reservation of the deprived classes. But now the time has come to curb this anti-constitutional policy of the BJP. This time the public has made up its mind to oust the BJP from power,” Hooda added.

He said this fight to save the Constitution and “reservation is not only political for us but also personal because the Constitution made by Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, which gave reservation to the Dalits and backward classes, also has the signature of my father late Chaudhary Ranbir Singh Hooda”.

“He had also worked as a member in the Constituent Assembly under the leadership of Babasaheb. Therefore, we will not let the anti-constitution and anti-reservation plans of the BJP to succeed under any circumstances,” the Congress leader said.

Appealing the people to vote for Pooja Chaudhary, he said “Pooja is the daughter-in-law of my elder brother Phoolchand Mulana, and is like my daughter. You should send her to the Vidhan Sabha by ensuring victory with a huge margin. Your one vote will get you three MLAs in Mulana, first me, second Varun Mulana and third Pooja Chaudhary. When the Congress government is formed, development will also happen here at three times the speed.”

Ambala MP Varun Mulana, former Speaker of Punjab Rana K.P. Singh, former minister and Ambala candidate Chaudhary Nirmal Singh, former MLAs Jasbir Mallaur and Arjun Singh, among others, addressed the rally.

Hooda said the “BJP starts spreading lies as soon as it wakes up in the morning. In Haryana, the BJP has not fulfilled even a single election promise till date. Whereas Congress fulfils every promise it makes. That is why the state was number one in per capita income, investment, employment and sports under the Congress government, while the BJP has made the state number one in crime, unemployment and inflation today.”

Haryana will go to the polls for the 90-member Assembly on October 5 and votes will be counted on October 8.