BJP govt issuing Tuglaqi orders: Hooda

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 24

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today hit out at the 10-month-old BJP Government in Haryana, saying that the Manohar Lal Khattar-led regime was issuing “Tuglaqi orders” even as it had gone back on its poll promises.

“The Haryana Government is directionless. It is only issuing Tughlaqi orders..,” Hooda said while addressing a press conference here today.

He said the Khattar government had recently promulgated an ordinance fixing educational qualifications for elections to panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) “an undemocratic step, which was later stayed by the High Court”.

The former two-time Chief Minister also said that there were numerous cases where old age pension was not being paid on time and there was a backlog of 3-4 months.

“During our time (Congress rule), we used to give this pension to 23 lakh beneficiaries. According to the present government’s claim, it has credited pensions to 10 lakh beneficiaries’ accounts, then what about the other 13 lakh. Also, they have not started the process to add new beneficiaries,” Hooda said.

He warned the government not to create problems for the pensioners or else his party would be forced to launch an agitation after August 31.

On CM Khattar’s current visit to US and Canada to attract investment, the senior Congress leader said: “They should first set their house in order before seeking foreign investments. During the past 10-months, the state government has hiked power rates, both at domestic and industrial fronts, making power costlier for industry than neighbouring Punjab.”

Hooda also said that the recent decision of the Khattar government to increase VAT on diesel had also adversely hit the state. “From (annual) sale of 63 lakh kilo litres, it has (is projected to) come down to 41 lakh kilo litres because diesel is now costlier in Haryana,” he said.

He said the farmers of the leading agrarian state were also facing hardships, with the sugar mills yet to pay their outstanding sugarcane arrears to farmers. He also announced a dharna in support of farmers at Yamunanagar and Naraingarh(Ambala) on August 28.

“Farmers in Fatehabad, Sirsa and Hisar region are also worried because their cotton crop has been hit by white fly pest severely damaging their crop, but no one in the government is bothered about their plight,” he said.