Cong, INLD attack Khattar govt
Opposition Congress and INLD today launched a scathing attack on the Khattar led BJP government alleging every section was fed up with its "misrule".
In separate news conferences here, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda and INLD's Abhay Singh Chautala targeted the state government over a host of issues including those on farmers, employees, youth and players.
Hooda said Manohar Lal Khattar government's Bhavantar Bharpayee Yojana, launched to protect the growers in the event of crash in prices, had failed to yield results.
He said recently farmers at many places had been forced to throw their tomato crops on roads or give them to the 'Gaushalas'.
"The government did not come to the rescue of tomato farmers when prices crashed. They have not got any benefit under this Yojana," the former chief minister claimed.
On the players' issue, he said: "The government first cancelled the awards ceremony and afterwards has been coming out with contradictory statements regarding honouring them. They are not clear which policy they have to follow and players are being disrespected".
He was also asked about the state government suspending Haryana Staff Selection Commission chairman B B Bharti after a row over an objectionable question pertaining to Brahmins, in an examination conducted by the board.
Hooda said there was no provision to suspend HSSC chairman and the government should either dismiss him or ask him to resign.
He said, moreover, the state government too should be held equally responsible as it was not a mere mistake in a question paper but an insult to the entire Brahmin community.
Hooda also asked the government to immediately resolve the issue of ongoing strike by the sanitation workers.
"While this government keeps talking so much about Swachh Bharat and Swachh Haryana, it is making no efforts to end the 10-day old strike which has resulted in heaps of garbage being piled up and inconvenienced the citizens" he stated.
Meanwhile, INLD's senior leader Abhay Singh Chatuala, while addressing another news conference, demanded the Khattar government issue a white paper on the five foreign trips undertaken by the Chief Minister and those part of his entourage on different occasions giving full details.
Chautala said that while the government has claimed that investments worth over Rs 7 lakh crore had fructified as a result of MoUs signed with various governments and other agencies during these trips, the white paper should detail how much revenue has actually been garnered out of these investments.
Chautala, who is Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly, also said that the Chief Minister had claimed that lot of wasteful expenditure has been incurred as part of hospitality expenses during Hooda's tenure.
"..Then it is the responsibility of the present government to tell what steps are being taken to reclaim that money," he added.
However, while reacting to this, Hooda said, "if people come to meet the Chief Minister (during his time), it is his responsibility to offer them a cup of tea and snacks.
" But everyone knows that nobody comes to meet him (Khattar). If they have their way, the present government would even set up a Commission of Inquiry to go into how much tea and biscuits had been consumed on the hospitality that was extended".
On criticism by Hooda to INLD-BSP's ongoing "Jail Bharo Andolan" on SYL canal issue, and his dubbing it as "Bus Bharo Andolan", Chautala said,"those coming from five star culture will not understand our agitation.
"Our leaders and workers have been courting arrest and authorities let us off in the evening saying they do not have any place to keep us in jails".
Hooda had said that INLD's "Jail Bharo Andolan" on SYL was limited to getting on to the buses, courting arrest and getting released in the evening.
"Had they been serious, they would have actually gone to jail on this issue," Hooda said.
On the developments in Karnataka, both Hooda and Chautala said B S Yedurappa's resignation had thoroughly exposed the BJP, which allegedly wanted to encourage horse trading despite knowing they did not have numbers on their side to cobble up a majority.
Replying to another question, Chautala said Mayawati-led third front will come into existence and the BSP supremo will be the country's next prime minister after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. PTI
