SURJEWALA’S SHOW OF STRENGTH
Making his Narwana rally a show of strength, AICC communications incharge promises to get alleged ‘cashforjob’ scam in Haryana Staff Selection Commission probed if his party is voted to power in 2019
NARWANA(JIND): Senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Saturday accused chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar of selling government jobs in Haryana in exchange of cash and warned him of meeting the same fate as former CM Om Parkash Chautala.
At a well-attended ‘Badlav Rally’ at his hometown Narwana in Jind district, Surjewala said, “CM Khattar should go and meet Chautala in Tihar jail to know what happens to those who sell government jobs in exchange of money. Chautala is not even getting bail by the court.” Notably, Chautala is serving a 10-year sentence in Tihar jail after being convicted in the JBT recruitment scam.
While former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hoooda and Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar are already engaged in a slugfest over the leadership issue in the state ahead of 2019 assembly elections, Surjewala, son of veteran Congress leader Shamsher Singh Surjewala, has also started flexing political muscles by holding rallies in different parts of the state.
The Kaithal MLA, who is also the Congress party’s national communications in-charge, promised to file an FIR and conduct an investigation in the alleged ‘cash-for-job’ scam in Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) if his party is voted to power in 2019.
“HSSC chairman Bharat Bhushan Bharti was caught on audio demanding Rs 80 lakh. But instead of removing him, the government gave him an extension because he is close to CM Khattar. Then there was a paper leak, but this government did nothing again. Then came a casteist remark against Brahmins, over which the government suspended Bharti for a few days following widespread outrage but reinstated him back to his post again,” Surjewala said.
The Congress leader, who is considered a contender for the CM’S post in Haryana, termed the BJP government an anti-dalit and anti-backward government.
He alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended special budget allocation for Dalits soon after coming to power and accused BJP ministers of trying to end reservation in jobs for poor and backward classes.
“BJP’S UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath makes Dalits wash their hands with soap before touching them. Union minister VK Singh compares Dalits to dogs. This is the extent to which they hate Dalits. As per statistics, a crime against a Dalit is committed every nine minutes in India, but this government has diluted the SC/ST (prevention of Atrocities) Act,” he alleged.
He also termed the government anti-farmer and said PM Modi had no empathy for them. “Has PM Modi or CM Khattar ever sown paddy in hot and humid temperature like this? Do they even know how to do it? How will they understand the pain and hard-work that a farmer puts in every single day to fill his family’s stomach,” he said.
Surjewala said that in past four years of BJP rule in Haryana, the state’s debts have increased from Rs 60,000 crore to Rs 1.62 lakh crore.
“Every hour, this government is borrowing Rs 3 crore and pushing Haryana neck deep under debts. Where is this money going? There has been no development, so it is clear it is going in the pockets of ministers,” he said.
The Haryana Congress is a divides house with Hooda, Tanwar and Surjewala holding their separate rallies. After Hooda launched his rath yatra in the state, Tanwar started Haryana Bachao Parivartan Cycle Rally.
Former Union minister and Congress’ Rajya Sabha member Kumari Selja, who on Saturday launched the party’s ‘Mahila Shakti’ programme in Karnal, also occasionally makes her presence felt.