Sirsa, February 25
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda could not have asked for more. He was declared successful “with distinction” by none other than Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who addressed a mammoth rally here today to mark the second anniversary of the Congress government in the state.

In an obvious reference to the Chautala regime, Sonia Gandhi said Haryana had become “hara bhara”(prosperous) under

the policies of Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. But “a regime of terror” for several years had resulted in the industry fleeing from the state and “criminals calling the shots.”

Disillusioned, the people of Haryana had voted the Congress to power two years ago. Sonia Gandhi said she was happy that "the Congress and Chief Minister Hooda have responded well to the aspirations of the people of Haryana”.

In a rebuff to critics of Hooda(without and within the Congress), Sonia Gandhi said “ opponents will always criticise you, but you should continue to serve the people without bothering about what they have to say.” Her remarks are being interpreted as aimed more at Hooda’s critics within the party (read Bhajan Lal and his MP son Kuldeep Bishnoi) than the opposition.

Sonia Gandhi chose to highlight the achievements of the Haryana Government rather than those of the UPA government. She said investment had again started flowing into Haryana, which had the second highest per capita income in the country.

Stating that the Hooda government had formulated several schemes for various sections of society, women in particular, Sonia Gandhi referred to schemes like Laadli, exclusive university for women and steps to reverse the declining sex ratio.

However, she cautioned that regular monitoring of the schemes was necessary to ensure their implementation at the ground level.

In her 11-minute speech, Sonia Gandhi, clad in a saffron-bordered cream sari, said interests of the farmers would always be protected while formulating various schemes by the UPA and Haryana governments. She assured the people of Haryana that the UPA government headed by Dr Manmohan Singh would give all help to the state.

Sonia Gandhi was able to strike an almost immediate rapport with the audience. As she rose to speak, the crowd repeatedly cheered her. She said the rally had been aptly named as “Navyug rally” because a new era had begun in the state under the Hooda government .

Chief Minister Hooda, highlighting the achievements of his government, regretted that the power situation in the state was a cause of worry. He indirectly criticised his predecessors, particularly Bhajan Lal, when he said though certain persons had remained Chief Minister for 10 years, no effective steps were taken to improve power availability. He said the state would be surplus in power within 34 months. His government was committed to constructing the SYL canal.

AICC general secretary, in charge of the Haryana Janardan Dwivedi, visibly jubilant over the large turnout at the rally, said no official machinery had been used to mobilise people for “this record rally”. This, he said, showed that the Hooda government was truly that of the people .