‘Clean governance biggest achievement’

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar says that his government has provided jobs to around 40,000 youths and another 40,000 vacancies, including 18,000 in Group C and D groups, are being filled. He claims that in place of Rs 10,000 compensation per acre as recommended by the Swaminathan commission, his government is paying Rs 12,000 compensation per acre to farmers for crop loss. He opines that the INLD and the Congress are beset with infighting. The BJP is the only party that is acceptable to all 36 ‘biradaris’ of Haryana and is all set to return to power with a thumping majority. Excerpts from an interview with Sushil Manav...

You have just completed four years as the Chief Minister of Haryana. What do you think are your major achievements in these four years?

Our biggest achievement is that we have changed the system of governance and ensured automatic delivery of services to people without discrimination. We have ended favouritism in government jobs that are now being provided on merit alone. We have given jobs to around 40,000 youths and another 40,000 vacanciess, including 18,000 in Group C and D groups, are being filled. Interviews for Group C and D category jobs have been done away with. Now, these jobs are being given on the basis of the results of the written examination. There are many other achievements as well. We have changed political culture, and the way of governance in the last four years. People at the grass-roots level are getting their rights and benefits without discrimination on the basis of caste, region or discretion. We have delivered water for irrigation up to 1300 tail-end areas without any political consideration. If you want holistic and inclusive development, you have to ensure free and fair distribution of benefits. To eradicate corruption, we have done away with our discretionary powers. We have introduced the direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme for providing the benefits of welfare schemes directly to the beneficiaries. Our initiatives have led to increase in the per capita income to Rs 2 lakh. The annual budget has been increased by around 90 per cent in the last four years. We have fulfilled around 160 of 176 promises made in our manifesto. Providing fair employment opportunities and a decisive increase in farmers’ income are among our biggest achievements. Haryana constitutes only two per cent of the total population of the country, but contributes more than 15 per cent grains to the national pool.

Our top 10 achievements are: Eradication of discrimination and favouritism in government jobs, transparent transfer policy, revolution in panchayati raj system, uninterrupted power supply to six districts and 2,776 villages, reducing power tariffs, becoming the first kerosene free state, providing water for irrigation to more than 1,300 tail-end areas for the first time, initiatives for additional water from the SYL canal, Renuka, Lakhwar and Ghisaau dams; being first to introduce ease of doing business in north India and achieving the fifth position in GST collections and exports.

What do you think have been the shortcomings of your government? Anything that you would have liked to do, but could not do for some reasons?

My dream is to economically empower everyone in Haryana. All 2.80 crore Haryanvis must get the benefits of development. Benefits should not be confined to just a chosen few. I wanted to do it and have done it successfully. I believe, where there is a will there is a way too. My entire team is with me. I appreciate them for their cooperation.

Opposition parties often accuse your government of being overly dependent on bureaucrats. What do you say?

I have changed the work culture in Haryana. In the past, it was usual to abuse and publically misbehave with bureaucrats and protect their blue-eyed officers for their own vested interests. I believe in teamwork. Officers are part of the system but I do keep a watch over them. Action is taken and will be taken against those who do not work according to the system.

Another major allegation of the Opposition parties is that your government has driven the state into a debt trap. They argue that the debt was around Rs 70,000 crore in 2014 when you assumed office but it now stands at Rs 1.61 lakh crore.

Previous governments were in a habit of hiding facts and figures from public. We have started a transparent system. I believe in a neat and clean balance sheet of the state. The previous governments would brush under the carpet their failures. For example, electricity companies were suffering heavy losses but people did not know about it. Our government took over Rs 25,000 crore of debt of power companies and now for the first time all four of them have become profitable. As a result, the service quality has improved and power tariffs have come down. Opposition leaders are either ignorant or do not want to accept the truth about the kind of progress Haryana has made in the past four years. The net worth of the state has increased manifold. They should stop talking about debt and focus on increasing the net worth of the state. Haryana is no longer called a poor state, which was their gift to people.

Ever since the BJP came to power in the state, government employees have been agitating on one issue or the other; the latest being roadways employees. Can we hope to see an early resolution of the issues concerning government employees?

Haryana was among the states that implemented the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations immediately after the Central government’s announcement. There are many states which are yet to implement the commission report. In many states, salaries are not paid for two or three months. In Haryana, salaries of government employees are not delayed even by a few hours. During the past four years, we have increased the salaries and perks of all employees. For the first time, policemen are getting weekly off. Both people and government employees are dear to me and I have to do a balancing act between the two. As for the roadways employees, I always welcome their genuine demands but cannot accept their interference in government policies.

Law and order in the state has always been a cause for concern. The National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) figures reveal that despite being a small state, Haryana records more rape incidents than any other state. How do you explain this?

Have you checked the conviction rate in Haryana now? The conviction rate is very high in the state. Political interference was common in such cases in the past. Women were prevented from entering police stations by local Chaudharys in the name of honour. They would threaten women and stop them from reporting crimes against them. FIRs were not registered in the past. Now, all FIRs are registered. There is no increase in rape cases as such, but all cases are being reported now and the accused arrested. Women police stations have been set up in all districts. It also depends on how you see it. We believe that justice can be done only when cases are reported and not hidden. I believe in action and not statistics. Criminals must know that if they commit crimes, they will not be spared.  

Ever since your party has formed government in the state, hardly any land has been acquired for development projects. Rather, land acquired for projects such as the Dadupur Nalvi canal has been de-notified. Isn't this affecting development activities in the state?

Previously, acquiring land was a big business for politicians and builders. It has been the policy of my government to acquire land only when and where needed. We stopped the practice of randomly acquiring land from farmers to benefit builders. We acquired thousands of acres at Nangal Chaudhary for a logistics park with the consent of farmers after paying them the market rates. The previous governments could have also done what I am doing, but they didn't. That is the reason that the CBI has filed so many cases against them.

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has accused your government of vendetta politics. What is your response to this charge?

Had my government indulged in vendetta politics, Bhupinder Singh Hooda would not have been roaming free, levelling baseless charges. In fact it was he who resorted to vendetta politics. We work according to the law of the land and the Constitution. We are cooperating with investigating agencies probing these cases and have provided them documents they require. It is up to the investigating agencies to establish the cases and courts to decide their fate.

For long, the INLD has been agitating on the SYL canal issue. The opposition parties are accusing you of not doing enough to protect the water rights of Haryana, especially when you have your own party government at the Centre.

I am fighting on three fronts to get Haryana's due water share. The SYL canal is just one of them. From 2004 to 2014, no one pursued the case in the Supreme Court properly. Our government hired competent lawyers to fight our case. The Supreme Court has given its verdict in our favour that Haryana has a legal right over water. Now, only the execution of the verdict about how water will arrive in Haryana is awaited. We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will rule soon and we will get our share of the SYL canal water. An agreement for the Lakhwar dam in Uttarakhand was done after I took the initiative to get all six state governments on a platform and sign the agreement. Haryana will get 47 per cent of the total water from this dam. Likewise, the work has also started on the Renuka Kishau dam in Himachal Pradesh. The best management and distribution of available water is the third point. The result is there for everyone to see. Parts of Haryana where canal water had not reached for 25 years are now getting water for irrigation. Around 15,000 ponds are being maintained to raise the water table and use the overflow for irrigation purposes. We are not merely fighting for the SYL canal but have adopted a holistic approach.

The BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014 on the promise of ‘Achche din’. During the Assembly elections too, several promises were made. Do you think the good days your party had promised have come now?

‘Achche din’ means people get whatever is due to them in a timely and transparent manner. Over 400 government services are now online in Haryana. Pensions and ration are being delivered at home; land registry is done online; the poor have access to the government and the government has access to them. Is this not ‘Achche din’?

The Implementation of the MS Swaminathan commission report was one of the BJP's poll promises. Is the BJP still committed to it or not?  

Where is the question of abandoning the promise when both Central and Haryana governments are working systematically to implement it successfully? Some Opposition leaders, who are questioning us over its implementation, seem have not read the Swaminathan commission report. You have to see what is the soul or main thrust of the report. For their benefit let me summarise the commission report. Its three essential parts are to save farmers from losses; provide them adequate and quality farming inputs such as fertilisers and seeds; and lastly to give farmers good prices for their produce. We have gone beyond the Swaminathan commission recommendations as in place of Rs 10,000 compensation per acre, the Haryana Government is paying Rs 12,000 compensation per acre to farmers if their crops are destroyed for any reason. We have paid more than Rs 3,000 crore as compensation to farmers over the past four years. This is in addition to what the Central Government is giving under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna.

I can say this with confidence that farmers of Haryana need not be afraid of anything. Their interests are being taken care of and the state government is committed to their welfare. Farming in Haryana has become risk-free. Farmers in 2,830 villages across Haryana are getting 24x7 electricity supply for domestic purpose and sufficient power for agriculture purpose. There is no voltage fluctuation as experienced in the past. We are providing farmers with unadulterated fertilisers and quality seeds. We have taken canal water till the tail-end areas to ensure its equitable availability to farmers. The Central Government has increased the procurement prices of many items by up to 90 per cent.

These are the basic recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission and as you can see, my government is working to implement them in a systematic and phased manner to ensure that profits of farmers jump substantially and their income increases two folds. The Opposition must know while they paid between Rs 700 and Rs 2,200 as procurement rates, we have increased the rates by six times in the past four years.   

In 2014, the BJP came to power in Haryana largely on the back of Narendra Modi’s charisma. But this time, your party will have to seek votes based on your performance. On what issues you will seek votes from people?

Do you mean to say Narendra Modi’s charisma has vanished and you see Rahul Gandhi’s wave in the country now? Will people in Haryana vote for Rahul Gandhi or Narendra Modi? Narendra Modi ji continues to be popular in India and his popularity has increased worldwide as a capable leader. Add to this my remarkable performance. We have unlimited issues to seek votes based on our performance. Corruption, which was a way of life in Haryana in the past, has been successfully tamed. We have ended family rule and nepotism.

There is a common feeling that the Assembly elections in Haryana can be held along with the parliamentary poll. Do you subscribe to this view?

Elections will be held when due. There is no second thought on this. We received the mandate to serve the people of Haryana for five years and we would continue serving them till the full term.

How do you rate your party’s chances in the next Assembly elections and why?

Tell me, are people going to vote for those parties which are grappling with the leadership issue and fighting over who will be the chief ministerial candidate from their family. They are not bothered about the people of Haryana. We have ended the family rule cult in Haryana. People voted for the BJP to end the family rule and “Hamari sarkar”. Now, it is everybody’s government. Infighting in the INLD over who will be the chief ministerial candidate from that family has reached its zenith. The party is in tatters. As for the Congress, it is faced with severe factionalism; again the fight is for the chief ministerial post. The BJP is the only party that is acceptable to all 36 ‘biradaris’ of Haryana. Suffice to say that we are coming back to power with a thumping majority.