PM TO SOUND POLL BUGLE IN HARYANA
Prime Minister will visit the land of Mahabharata for launch of Swachh Shakti-2019 programme; will lay foundation of several projects via video-conferencing
KARNAL: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will sound the poll bugle in Haryana by kicking off the BJP’S election campaign from Kurukshetra , the land of Mahabharata, on February 12.
Though the state government and the district administration claimed that it is a non-political event as the PM is scheduled to launch the Swachh Shakti-2019 programme, the visit assumes political significance as its comes a few months before the Lok Sabha elections.
On the heels of the BJP’S triumph in Jind bypoll and good show in Mayoral elections earlier, the PM will also lay the foundation stones of several megaprojects in the state via video conferencing, including Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Medical University at Kutail in Karnal, National Cancer Institute in Jhajjar, widening of Kaithalkarnal road, a PG college in Panchkula, a war memorial in Panipat and Ayush University in Kurukshetra from the rally site.
Officials said Modi will also lay the foundation of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rewari, which was announced in the interim budget.
The BJP government in the state is making all-out efforts to make the Swachh Shakti programme a mega event by ensuring a huge gathering, wherein around 17,000 woman ‘Swachhta Champions’, including representatives of panchayati raj institutions across the country, will be honoured for their outstanding work in Swachh Bharat Mission and making Swachh Bharat a reality.
This is the second visit of the PM in the state in the past four months. He had unveiled a 64-ft statue of late peasant leader Chhotu Ram at his native village Garhi-sampla in the Jat heartland of Rohtak in October last year. Though the programme is being organised to spread the message of cleanliness, political observers feel it holds great political significance for the ruling party.
As BJP’S Kurukshetra MP Raj Kumar Saini has already formed a separate party, the PM’S visit in his constituency can lift the morale of the party workers and supporters, who felt ditched by Saini even as they ensured his victory by a margin of 1.3 lakh votes in the last general elections.
The Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat has an electorate comprising OBCS, especially Sainis, Aggarwals, Brahmins, Gurjars, Punjabis, Sikhs and Dalits, besides Jats. Holding the PM’S rally here is being considered as an attempt to reach out to all these sections of society.
Though Jats have the biggest chunk of voters in Kurukshetra constituency, Jat candidates did not perform well in the past elections and the seat has been mostly represented by Sainis.
3,000 COPS FOR SECURITY
The preparations for the event have been going for the past one week and about 3,000 cops of the Haryana Police and 2,000 employees from the state and the Centre will be on duty during the programme.
Kurukshetra deputy commissioner (DC) SS Phulia said 25 duty magistrates have been appointed for the two-day programme, which would commence on February 11. An exhibition will also be organised to showcase various government schemes.