Cong to appoint booth-level agents across Haryana: Rao Narender

Newly appointed Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Rao Narender Singh today announced that booth-level agents will be appointed across all polling booths to monitor voter lists and strengthen the party’s grassroots presence.

Organisation’s revamp on cards

Former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that District Congress Committees would soon be formed. “The organisation has to be strong and should raise people’s voice,” he said.

Speaking at a meeting of District Congress presidents, MLAs and Assembly poll candidates, Rao Narender said the move would also accelerate the ongoing “Vote Chor-Gaddi Chhod” campaign.

“The booth-level agent will be from the booth concerned. The MLAs or those who contested the Assembly polls will nominate them before October 22,” he said.

Clarifying on former Hisar MP Brijendra Singh’s ‘Sadbhav Yatra’, Congress state incharge BK Hariprasad said it was Singh’s personal initiative and not a Congress programme.

“But we have no problem if someone attends it,” Hariprasad added.

He further said working presidents would continue and the party high command would take the final call on new appointments.

“A Political Affairs Committee will be formed to resolve internal party issues on an official platform,” he said.

Rao Narender said the meeting also reviewed issues related to civic elections, women’s participation, organisational expansion and district offices, with necessary directions issued to strengthen the structure.

Launching a scathing attack on the BJP government, he said crime and unemployment were rampant in Haryana.

“According to NCRB data, Haryana ranks third in overall crime and first in organised crime. More than 30 papers were leaked during the BJP’s recruitment process and candidates from other states were given preference,” he alleged.

Rao Narender also termed the Rs 2,100 monthly assistance scheme for women a ‘fraud’, claiming that only 1.71 lakh women had been registered despite the government having Aadhaar and family ID data.

“Haryana was number one in development during the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government,” he asserted.

Addressing the gathering, former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the public had given Congress the responsibility of a strong Opposition, which it would fulfil with full commitment.

Listing the achievements of the previous Congress regime, Hooda said:

“The Congress government established the National Institute of Fashion Technology in Panchkula, the National Institute of Design in Kurukshetra, Kalpana Chawla Medical College in Karnal, Rajiv Gandhi Education City in Sonepat, AIIMS and the National Cancer Institute in Jhajjar, IIM in Rohtak, Lala Lajpat Rai University in Hisar, Indian Defence University in Gurugram, and Central University in Mahendragarh.”

He added that the Congress had initiated projects including five medical colleges, 12 government universities, 45 colleges, four thermal plants, one nuclear plant and new railway lines, while the BJP failed to establish any major educational institutions, industries, or metro expansion projects.