Khattar hits poll campaign in Jind

Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service
Jind, January 18

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Union Minister for Steel Birender Singh on Friday hit election campaign for BJP candidate Krishan Middha in Jind.

Khattar, who began his poll campaign from Kandela village where nine agitating farmers were killed in police firing in 2002, addressed over 10 meetings named by the BJP poll managers as “Chai Pe Charcha”.

Union Minister Birender Singh and his wife Prem Lata, MLA from nearby Uchana constituency, also joined Khattar during the campaign.

Seeking votes for the BJP candidate on the basis of his government’s performance, Khattar said that he had changed the way governments were run in Haryana so far.

“Those who ruled the state before me looked for their family interests first, thought of close relatives from their own caste next and their vision ended maximum to their own constituency. During the past four years of my regime, I have ensured development without bias across the state, recruitments have been made on merit in contrast to the practice of nepotism and favouritism that prevailed during the previous regimes,” he said.

Reminding people of Kandela incident, Khattar said that there were people who promised waiver of power bills, but backed out after coming to power. When farmers launched an agitation, they had to face bullets. Comparing that with his own regime, Khattar said that the BJP government launched one-time settlement scheme under which over 80,000 farmers paid up their dues as the government waived all interests and penalties.

During his “Chai Pe Charcha”, Khattar went to the houses of Tek Ram Kandela, former minister Mange Ram Gupta, former MP Surender Barwala and several other leaders.

Interacting with mediapersons, former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that only the Congress could give people a government that worked for all sections of society. Terming the BJP government as an even management company, Hooda alleged that Khattar government had done nothing for Jind.

Refuting the allegations of Congress candidate Randeep Surjewala being an outsider candidate, Hooda said that he was from Jind district.

Meanwhile, Jai Parkash, an Independent MLA from Kalayat, extended his support to Surjewala.

Jai Parkash, who was earlier lobbying for Congress ticket for his son Vikas Saharan, today announced his support for Surjewala after meeting senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel in Delhi.

Leader of Opposition Abhay Chautala raised the issue of “outsider and insider” and asked people to cast their votes only for a candidate who belongs to the Jind Assembly segment.

Abhay alleged that the Congress and the JJP had fielded outsiders and the BJP had “imported candidate” from his party while the INLD nominee Umed Redhu was the only one who belongs to Jind. Dabwali MLA Naina Chautala made an emotional appeal to votes for her son and JJP nominee Digvijay Chautala.

“My husband Ajay Chautala had handed over our sons Dushyant and Digvijay to you before going to jail. Now, it is up to you to ensure the JJP candidate’s victory,” she said.