Hooda slams INLD, JJP as BJP’s proxies

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), branding them “proxies of the BJP.”

“As the BJP cannot face the Congress directly in Haryana, it resorts to fighting through such alliances,” Hooda told reporters at his residence. He recalled that in 2019, the BJP “fought a proxy battle with the support of the JJP,” while in 2024 it aligned with the INLD.

Citing Sirsa as an example, he said: “The BJP even withdrew its candidate to ensure the victory of INLD ally Gopal Kanda, whose own statement exposed the BJP-INLD alliance.” Hooda added that in constituencies such as Rania, Narwana, Ellenabad, and Dabwali, the INLD backed the BJP while the BJP openly supported INLD candidates. “The people of Haryana fully understand their true nature. There is no need to waste time responding to their claims,” he said.

On farmer issues, Hooda demanded that the support price of sugarcane be fixed at a minimum of Rs 500 per quintal, paddy procurement begin immediately, and the market fee be cut by 1%. Announcing that he would donate one month’s salary to the flood relief fund, he appealed to all MLAs, including Congress legislators, to do the same.

Hooda said floods had ravaged nearly 30 lakh acres of farmland across Haryana, affecting around 5.1 lakh farmers. “Despite more than a month passing, the BJP government has failed to take concrete steps for relief. Everywhere I visited — from Jind and Rohtak to Yamunanagar — people complained of lack of assistance,” he said.

He expressed surprise that the state government had neither declared Haryana flood-affected nor sought a relief package from the Centre. According to him, this showed an intent to trap farmers in prolonged processes of portals and land surveys while withholding timely compensation.

Claiming that farmers had lost nearly Rs 1 lakh per acre, Hooda said: “Crops have been destroyed and prospects for the next harvest are bleak. Farmers are facing losses for two consecutive seasons. They must receive at least Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000 per acre as compensation, but the government is offering even less than the cost of fertiliser.”

The Congress leader also raised concerns over alleged electoral malpractice. “The Election Commission has not given any clear answers on fake votes — how such large numbers were created, who was responsible, and what action has been taken. Bogus votes are widespread in Haryana,” he said, adding that the BJP had “misused ration cards to manipulate elections.”

He pointed out that just before polls, the number of BPL cards was inflated to 52 lakh, suggesting nearly 80% of the state’s population was below the poverty line. “Soon after elections, cancellations began, and already 11 lakh ration cards have been revoked,” Hooda alleged.