Hooda: Ready for debate with CM on development

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 26

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today described the BJP government’s 1,000 days in power as wastage of waste of all these days and challenged Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to have an open debate with him anywhere.

“Let Khattar tell people which development work has been done and when it was actually started. Let Khattar also come with details how many jobs were provided by his government and how many were given during the Congress government,” Hooda said while talking to The Tribune here today.

The former CM claimed that when he took over the reins of power in the state in 2005, per capita income in Haryana was Rs 37,000 and when he left in 2014, it had reached Rs 1.48 lakh.

“However, it started plummeting ever since I left and while figures of the current year are yet to come. Last year, per capita income had come down to Rs 1.35 lakh,” he said, adding that the state government was moving in reverse gear.

Terming the BJP government in Haryana as “Jhoot, phoot aur loot li sarkaar” (government of lies, division and loot), Hooda alleged that the Khattar government’s only game was to claim credit for development works started by his predecessors, divide people in the name of religion and caste for political ends and loot the state exchequer through scams.

Referring to a recent report of the National Crime Record Bureau, Hooda said it was shameful that Haryana had achieved number one position in the matter of maximum number of deaths of civilians in police firing in 2016, as with 22 deaths, the state even surpassed Jammu and Kashmir in this regard.

“Ever since this government has come to power, there has been scam in purchase of electricity meters, in purchase of coolers and in procurement of paddy. Even in purchase of dustbins, a fraud is being alleged,” Hooda said.

Accusing the government of lying on the issue of SYL canal, Hooda said that it was his government that moved applications of early hearing in the Supreme Court, but now the BJP government wanted to claim its credit.