Chandigarh, Feb 26 (NIE): Haryana’s former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Sunday urged people of the state to join hands in the Congress’s movement to oust the ruling BJP government in the Vidhan Sabha elections next year.
Calling the BJP “anti-farmer” and targeting the state government for its “failure” to maintain law and order across Haryana, Hooda addressed a large gathering in Palwal district. Selection of Anaj Mandi in Hodal— a non-Jat belt— as a venue is seen as an attempt to shed his ‘Jat leader’ image.
Hooda, who recently suffered a foot fracture, had earlier announced that a state-wide Jankranti Yatra would commence Sunday. He was scheduled to launch his state-wide tour from Hodal and then address rallies in all the 90 Assembly constituencies across Haryana. However, owing to the injury, he addressed the rally seated on a chair and said he would begin the Jankranti Yatra in April.
Expressing concern over the law and order situation in the state, Hooda said, “There can be no bigger proof of the failing law and order situation that the ruling government had to pay Rs 22 crore to bring in paramilitary forces for a rally addressed by BJP chief Amit Shah in Jind. A state government that could not ensure security even to its party chief has no moral right to remain in office.”
Hooda added, “This BJP government has been forced to call the Army and paramilitary forces four times in the past three-and-a-half years.” He pointed out that the state witnessed arson, street violence and the government had to pay Rs 205 crore for central forces. “During our 10-year tenure, we did not call paramilitary forces even once,” he said.
Hooda said that all sections of the society were suffering because of the “anti-people policies of the state government.”
“BJP promised to bring back black money stashed in foreign banks and that Rs 15 lakh would be deposited to each bank account holder. But the (Central) government is allowing a few wealthy people to take away thousands of crores of rupees of white money abroad,” he said, referring to the PNB scam accused.