Hooda supports protesting farmers, claims BJP has shown its real face
KARNAL: Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday extended his support to farmers protesting against the BJP government’s decision to denotify 1,019 acre of land acquired for the DadupurNalvi canal.
The state government has already spent Rs 304 crore on the construction of Dadupur Nalvi canal over the past three decades, before deciding to withdraw the irrigation scheme last week.
The government said it had not found the scheme “feasible”after enhancement of the compensation to the farmers following a May 2016 order of the Punjab and Haryana high court.
Addressing a gathering of farmers in Yamunanagar, Hooda said that Dadupur-Nalvi was a dream project of his government but the present BJP government had betrayed the farmers of the of the region, where ground water has already gone below 400 feet. “the people the northern districts played important role in bringing BJP to power, but now BJP party has showed them its real face,” he added.
The decision to denotify the land of the Dadupur-Nalvi canal project will prove costly for the farmers of this region as thousands of acres of fertile land will turn, barren.
“In democracy the government is formed for the welfare of the people, not earn profit, even the government has to take some decision in welfare of its people by ignoring financial loss,” Hooda added.
Hooda, who had started the land acquisition process for the canal however, said the court had enhanced the compensation to provide a relief to the affected farmers but the present government has now decided to shut the project and return the land to farmers, without considering its bad impact on farmers.
He assured the farmers that he will force the government to withdraws its decision.
ABHAY SLAMS HOODA FOR IGNORING CANAL DURING HIS REGIME
Indian National Lok Dal leader Abhay Chautala has slammed former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for ignoring the Dadupur-Nalvi canal project during his regime.
“The question that needs to asked of Hooda is that why he did not complete the project when he was the CM. Why now this support to farmers,” Chautala said, during his visit to Karnal on Monday.
He said INLD workers had always fought for the rights of people of Haryana and the INLD will not allow the government to scrap the project, which is the life-line of northern districts of the state.
“The CM or the BJP MLAs will not pay the money for the project from their pocket. It is public money and should be used for the welfare of the people of state,” he added. Earlier, Chautala also extended his support to the protesting JBT aspirants in Karnal and said that he will take up their issue during the coming assembly session.
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Farmers are struggling to earn a square meal and the government is now asking them to return the compensation for the land with 15% interest. This will prove costly for the BJP.
BHUPINDER SINGH HOODA, former Haryana chief minister