Bogged down in internal strife, coalition dharma, Khattar pats himself on back
CHANDIGARH: Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday patted himself on the back for the 100-day accomplishments of the BJP-JJP government in the state.
Listing out a string of achievements – most of them an extension of programmes and schemes launched during his previous tenure – the CM said he was ‘very satisfied’ with the performance of the coalition government. The BJP, which crawled to reach the 40-seat mark in the 2019 assembly polls and fell short of a simple majority in the 90-member House had forged an alliance with Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) to form the government in October last year.
The sailing has been far from smooth for Khattar during this period as the functioning of the government has been hampered by his frequent conflicts with home minister Anil Vij. Not only this, an independent MLA Balraj Kundu who lent his support to the government has levelled serious allegations against a former BJP minister. Two JJP MLAs – Ram Kumar Gautam and Devender Babli- have struck a discordant note with deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala and state BJP chief Subhash Barala, respectively. The allies have also failed to formulate a common minimum programme despite reported consensus on 33 aspects of the duo’s poll manifestos signifying the compulsions of a coalition.
The chief minister also launched the Mukhyamantri Parivar Samriddhi Yojana (MMPSY) by formally depositing social security benefits to eligible families online. Announced on February 26, 2019, the MMPSY entailed providing an annual remuneration of ₹6,000 to the families whose annual income was up to ₹1.80 lakh and who had less than fiveacre land holdings. The move aimed at wooing voters ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha and assembly polls was announced a day after the then finance minister provided an outlay of ₹1,500 crore in the budget estimates for providing financial and social security cover to families of farmers and workers in the unorganised sector. Khattar on Friday also announced that a Guru Ravidas Dham would be constructed in Kurukshetra.
The chief minister said that making a resolve to ensure good governance by celebrating 2020 as Susashan Sankalp Year, taking the initiative to engage various stakeholders and legislators in pre-budget consultations and allowing every MLA to undertake development works to the tune of ₹5 crore each were some of the significant steps taken. He further said the move to empower gram sabhas to pass resolutions to prohibit liquor vends in villages, provide electricity to agro-based industries at the rate of ₹4.75 per unit instead of the prevalent higher tariff for industries, amending the Haryana Official Language Act, 1969, to facilitate judicial work in all the courts subordinate to the Punjab and Haryana HC in Hindi and implementing the reservation policy in post graduate or MD courses in medical and dental colleges were some other important decisions taken during the first 100 days.
The CM listed Jal Jeevan Mission, a central scheme aimed at increasing the water available to households; Atal Bhujal Yojana, another central scheme for management of groundwater, national education policy, abolishing Lal Dora from villages, Atal Kisan Mazdoor Canteen, new ex gratia policy and Pashu Kisan Credit card scheme as noteworthy new schemes . He said approval to build a medical college at a cost of ₹664 crore in Jind, railway over bridge (ROB) on Sonepat-Gohana-Jindtrack, road bypass at Bahadurgarh and construction of 11 ROBs and under bridges were major projects being implemented.
›
The BJP-JJP government is a failed engine, flat-tyre government. Political opportunism is its foundation and plundering of state resources its only aim. People’s welfare is far from its mind. Policy paralysis, absolute aimlessness and internecine disputes are the only three achievements of their 100-day rule.
› RANDEEP SURJEWALA, Congress spokesperson
There is a race among the ministers to determine who can drive more people mad. All this government knows is to harass people. The CM raids the tehsil office, the deputy CM conducts checks at a hospital. Instead of reposing trust in their officers they conduct raids to make headlines. Corruption is on an all time high.
› ABHAY CHAUTALA, former leader of opposition This government only knows how to spring ‘jumlas’ and the same was seen in the chief minister’s 100day report card. The biggest achievement of these 100 days is that multiple scams have taken place during this period. No work has been done in these 100 days. The common minimum program of government is not visible.
KUMARI SELJA , Haryana Congress chief