Haryana Diary: CM City a hub of protests

Kurukshetra: With the Chief Minister’s residence and camp office located here, Kurukshetra has not only earned the tag of a CM City but has also emerged as a regular hub of protests. Frequent demonstrations by farmer unions, agitating employees and political parties have made barricading, police deployment and slogan shouting near the CM residence almost routine. Protesters usually gather at Devi Lal Park, march towards the CM’s residence and are stopped at barricades. The city has witnessed three such protests in just the past week, making public agitations a familiar sight for residents.

Politics of the chase

Rohtak: State politics currently resembles a game of hunt and seek. The Congress is busy promoting its Talent Hunt Programme through press conferences, searching for young leaders to fill key organisational positions. On the other hand, the BJP’s media team is taking Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s Lok Sabha speech to the masses, highlighting how he used “facts” to counter what the party calls Congress’s politics of misinformation. While one party hunts for future leaders, the other hunts for the truth — and the chase appears to be the real spectacle.

A wedding without dowry

Yamunanagar: At a time when extravagant weddings dominate social trends, a marriage in Yamunanagar sent out a strong message against dowry. The groom’s family accepted just Re 1 as shagun. Praveen Kumar Batar of Bahadurpur village married his son Saransh to Anshika, daughter of farmer and social worker Virender Chaudhary of Gulabgarh village. Batar returned Rs 11 lakh given at the engagement and Rs 31 lakh offered during the wedding, and also refused an expensive car. Instead, both families donated Rs 1 lakh each to a Kanya Gurukul in Devdhar village, supporting girls’ education in rural areas.

Mayor looks to Surat model

Hisar: Hisar Mayor Praveen Popli is on a visit to Surat to study the city’s systematic development and infrastructure planning. Earlier, former minister Kamal Gupta had envisioned developing Hisar on the lines of Indore, one of India’s cleanest cities. While Hisar has fallen short of that goal so far, there is hope that Popli’s exposure to Surat’s Integrated Command and Control Centre may help steer the city towards more organised and eco-friendly development.

Minister’s remarks stir row

Gurugram: Badshahpur MLA and Environment Minister Rao Narbir recently found himself in controversy after remarks made at a public function. He claimed that pre-election “war cries” by Jats helped the BJP’s victory by prompting other voters to consolidate against them. Narbir also targeted the Jat-dominated village of Daultabad, alleging a lack of loyalty despite development works worth Rs 15 crore during his tenure. He said the village voted instead for the wife of late MLA Rakesh Daultabad, who, he claimed, spent far less on development. Sensing trouble, his security team reportedly prevented people from recording the speech.

Staying away from 'Sadbhav Yatra'

Panipat: The second phase of the 'Sadbhav Yatra' led by former MP and AICC vice-chairman Brijendra Singh concluded at Kavi village in Israna constituency on Friday. While senior Congress leaders denied factionalism, a group of district leaders stayed away from the yatra despite its two-day halt in the constituency. Brijendra Singh himself alluded to the internal divide, saying, “Harmony is needed not only in society but also within the Congress. If this harmony had been maintained during the Assembly elections, there would have been a Congress government in Haryana.”

Contributed by: Nitish Sharma, Ravinder Saini, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Deepender Deswal, Sumedha Sharma and Mukesh Tandon