Rao Inderjit raps Khattar, tries to project self as CM candidate
Says helped his ‘old friend’ Hooda to rise to power in state
ROHTAK: Launching a frontal attack on Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, Union minister and BJP MP from Gurugram, Rao Inderjit Singh, on Sunday ‘projected’ himself as the CM candidate for 2019 elections.
Addressing a meeting in Mundahera village of Jhajjar district, the four-time MP said 2019 will be the last time he will contest elections. “I will devote my entire time to end the caste divide that has cropped up in Haryana under the Khattar government,” he added.
“Though CM Khattar ensured equal distribution of resources among all districts, it is unfortunate that the state witnessed a caste divide under this government,” Inderjit said.
“Ye caste divide tabhi khatam hoga jab Haryana me aise insaan ko CM banaya jaye jo CM ban ke neta na bane, balki neta ho, jo CM bane (Ending the caste divide is possible only when a real public leader will be elected as the chief minister of state, not when an unknown face will be given the CM’s post to start his political career),” he said, in an obvious and fierce attack on the inexperience of Khattar, whose appointment as CM had upset many within BJP as he was an unknown face then.
“I have been exploited many a time. In 2014, we had wanted a public face to become the CM of Haryana… but sometimes parties think differently… an unknown face suddenly becomes the CM..,” he said.
“This is my last fight… and I want your support… You lend me your support, I will see the rest of the leaders,” Inderjit added.
The Ahirwal leader expressed his resentment over non-implementation of the Supreme Court’s order on completion of the SYL canal.
“CM Khattar had met me to ask who all leaders should go to PM Narendra Modi to request for speedy implementation of the SC’s ruling. I had advised hi to take a delegation of all state MLAs and MPs to PM and tell him how SYL is Haryana’s lifeline. But I have no clue whether Khattar even went to meet the PM to discuss this issue or not. He didn’t tell me if he did,” Inderjit said.
‘JAIL BHARO ANDOLAN A DESPERATE ATTEMPT BY INLD TO ATTAIN POWER’
He also attacked the opposition INLD and termed its ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’ over the SYL as a desperate attempt to come to power. “When INLD’s family friend Parkash Singh Badal was in power in Punjab, why didn’t it then hold this agitation to demand SYL water from him?” he asked.
Trying to garner public sympathy, Inderjit said he and Hooda have both been elected as legislatures and MPs four times but Hooda was termed as farmers’ leader, while he was not given any such tag.
“I have always raised farmers’ issues. Don’t I deserve to be called a farmer’s leader? Since the beginning of my political career, I have been getting votes from village population, while Hooda has only won on the votes of urban residents,” he said.
Describing Hooda as his old friend, Inderjit said Hooda had helped him in getting the Congress ticket for MP elections in 1998.
“I too had helped him (Hooda) in becoming the CM. Without my help, Bhajan Lal would have become the chief minster in place of Hooda,” he said.
‘CONSPIRACY FORCED ME TO QUIT CONGRESS ’
Without naming Hooda, Inderjit said he was forced to quit the Congress party when ‘someone’ hatched a conspiracy and made all Ahirwal legislators go against him.
While there were rumors that Inderjit might quit the BJP over news reports of him forming a new party, the Ahirwal leader maintained these were old reports that were being published again and against by those having vested interests.
“Everyone knows I had registered for a party in 2012. But now I’m in BJP. If old stories continue to be published again and again, then I can’t do anything about it,” he said.
Praising PM Modi’s work, Inderjit said he along with all state MPs will meet the PM during the Parliament’s monsoon session to discuss the SYL issue.