Congress rips into govt for unfulfilled election promises

KARNAL: Haryana Congress president Ashok Tanwar and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Kiran Choudhry today hit out at the state government for “not fulfilling” its pre-poll promises such as bringing back black money, implementing the Swaminathan Commission report and increasing old-age pension to Rs 2,000.

CLP leader Kiran Choudhry and party state chief Ashok Tanwar in Karnal on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Ravi Kumar

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, December 17

Haryana Congress president Ashok Tanwar and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Kiran Choudhry today hit out at the state government for “not fulfilling” its pre-poll promises such as bringing back black money, implementing the Swaminathan Commission report and increasing old-age pension to Rs 2,000.

The two leaders were here today to attend a party workers’ meeting on poll debacle. This is the third such meeting after the ones in Jind and Hisar.

Tanwar said the present dispensation was confused and cited Health Minister Anil Vij’s recent to Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College Hospital to prove his point.

Vij, during his recent visit to the hospital, had enquired whether the health facility was a medical college or a Civil Hospital. “The previous Congress government had announced to build a medical college in the name of Kalpana Chawla. The construction started during Congress regime and there was no confusion then. I am surprised why the Health Minister was baffled on the issue?” the state Congress chief said.

Raising the issue of relief to commuters from toll, state president said the state and Centre government should form a policy for the relief to commuters residing in the vicinity of toll plazas.

Kiran welcomed the announcement for building a medical university in the name of Kalpana to be built at Kutail village. “The Congress is a positive opposition and it will raise public interest issues in the Assembly or in public,” he said.

The CLP leader, accompanied by former MLA Sumita Singh, former minister Meena Mandal, Bheemsen Mehta, Pankaj Punia, Neetu Maan, Gyan Sahota and Surinder Narwal, blamed the state government for the non-availability of urea. “The rates of paddy, cotton and other crops are below the optimum level of farmers.”

On the reasons of debacle in the Assembly elections, Kiran said the previous government did a great job, but committed some mistakes due to which the Congress suffered. “Anti-incumbency played a role in our defeat,” the CLP leader added.

About the meetings on poll debacle, Tanwar said: “We are meeting the cadre to strengthen the party. These meetings are an attempt to send out a message of unity among workers. We are collecting suggestions from them.”