BJP not against any caste: Shah

Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Pandu Pindara (Jind), February 15

To win over Jat voters in Haryana, BJP president Amit Shah today said the party is not against any caste. “The BJP stands for ‘sabka vikas’ (development for all) without any prejudice,” he said while addressing a ‘Yuva Hunkar Rally’ in the Jat heartland here.

The rally was projected as a launching pad for the BJP’s 2019 Lok Sabha campaign.

Shah lauded Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankar for his contribution to farmers’ welfare, and state BJP chief Subhash Barala for strengthening the party.

He congratulated BJP leaders for organising an impressive gathering in Jind, the home turf of Union Steel Minister Birender Singh.

Dhankar, Barala and Birender are Jat leaders.

“Unlike political parties that ruled Haryana in the past, the BJP does not believe in favouring a particular caste. Khattar deserves appreciation for breaking the tradition of corruption and nepotism in the state,” the BJP chief said.

He told the gathering that increasing the MSP was one of the major electoral promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Without naming the INLD, Shah said Haryanvi leaders had organised massive farmer rallies at Delhi’s Boat Club, but no initiative was ever taken to increase the income of peasants.

“The Congress ruled in Haryana and at the Centre for 10 years simultaneously, but it did not implement the Swaminathan Commission report. On the other hand, ever since Dhankar became president of the Bharatiya Kisan Morcha, he had been demanding better prices for crops. His demand has been fulfilled,” he said.

In another apparent reference to Jats, the BJP chief said the youth of the state had brought laurels to the country by joining the defence forces and excelling in sports.

Shah said the Manohar Lal Khattar government had introduced several path-breaking initiatives of transparent governance, including e-tendering and recruitment on merit basis.

“Earlier, ‘transfer industry’ used to flourish in the state. A former Haryana Chief Minister is languishing in jail for corrupt practices. But Khattar has rooted out the ‘middlemen culture’ by introducing online transfer policy and other measures,” he said.

Birender said that under Shah’s leadership, the Congress had been decimated and his supporters would continue to work for the BJP in any election. “This year’s Union Budget focuses on farmers and their income is set to be increased.”

In his address, Khattar said all 90 Assembly segments were given equal number of development projects.

Green tribunal clears decks for event 

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) cleared the decks on Thursday for holding of the 'hunkar' rally by disposing of a plea seeking reduction in the number of motorcycles in the rally on pollution grounds. A Bench headed by Justice Raghuvendra S Rathore passed the order after noting the Haryana State Pollution Control Board's submission that only the motorcycles which had valid pollution under control certificates would be allowed to participate in the rally. The NGT said “nothing survives” in the plea after the board’s assurance, but it gave liberty to the petitioner to approach it in the future. pti

Tanwar detained 

Jind: INLD legislator from Narwana Prithi Singh and state Congress president Ashok Tanwar, along with their supporters, were detained on Thursday. They were taken into preventive custody as they were on their way to Jind to protest against BJP president Amit Shah. Sources said Tanwar was camping here with a group of his supporters. The INLD leader and his team were detained at Narwana. Congress and INLD activists reportedly waved black flags at participants of the rally at several places. tns

Saini stays away 

Kurukshetra: BJP’s Kurukshetra MP Rajkumar Saini did not attend the rally chaired by the party president. Saini has been blaming a section of Jat leaders in the BJP for mounting pressure on the state government for demanding Jat reservation. tns