Hooda resumes Jankranti Yatra
Seeking to project himself as tallest Congress leader in state, former chief minister makes big promises to farmers and youth, if the party is voted to power in next assembly polls
HIS RIVALS IN CONG — PARTY PRESIDENT ASHOK TANWAR AND CLP LEADER KIRAN CHOUDHARY — STAYED AWAY FROM THE EVENT
SAMALKHA(PANIPAT): Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday launched the second leg of his ‘Jankranti Yatra’ from here projecting himself as the tallest leader of the Congress in the state and made big promises to the farmers and youth, if his party is voted to power in the next assembly polls.
Addressing a rally from a specially-designed rath (chariot), Hooda tried to woo farmers, unemployed youth and contractual employees, who were worried about their jobs after the Punjab and Haryana high court set aside the regularization of contractual employees.
“This is the first government which has made regular employees ad hoc,” he said while accusing the BJP government of not backing their case in the court strongly.
Hooda demanded the BJP government to bring an ordinance to protect their jobs and also promised to regularise their services again, if his party is voted to power. Hooda also blamed the BJP government for the farmers’ crisis in the state and said, “The BJP was looting farmers in the name of Fasal Bima Yojana. Crores of rupees were spent on the publicity of the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojna but the farmers did not get any benefit from the scheme and they are dumping their produce on roads.”
The Congress will not allow the BJP government to auction even a single acre of agriculture land as farmers are unable to return their loans as they are not getting remunerative prices of their crops, he said.
“The government should not think that the farmers are orphans. The Congress is standing behind them,” he added.
“Corruption has reached a new level and HSSC (Haryana Staff Selection Commission) has become Haryana Service Sale Centre and a rate list has been put up for different jobs,” he alleged.
‘NA HOODA JHUKEGA, NA RATH RUKEGA’
In an apparent message to the ruling BJP and his detractors in reference to the CBI cases registered against him, Hooda’s supporters installed huge banners reading ‘Na Hooda Jhukega, Na Rath
RIVALS STAY AWAY FROM EVENT
Though Hooda managed to turn the event a show of strength with the support of several sitting and former party MLAS, his rivals in the party like Haryana Congress president Ashok Tanwar and Congress legislature party (CLP) leader Kiran Choudhary stayed away from the rally. AICC spokesperson and Kaithal MLA Randeep Surjewala also skipped the event.