No rift in Congress, electability sole criterion for ticket: Bhupinder Singh Hooda

Parveen Arora

Karnal, June 16

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today denied any rift in the Congress and said all workers and leaders worked for the party candidates in the recently held Lok Sabha elections.

He claimed the party stood united ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. Candidates’ electability would be the sole criterion for the ticket allocation, he added.

Promises Rs 6,000 old-age pension

If voted to power in the state, the Congress will raise the old-age pension to Rs 6,000 a month. Every family will get 300 units of free electricity, housewives will get LPG cylinder for Rs 500, old pension scheme will be revived for employees. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress leader

“There is no discord within the party. The Congress is well prepared for the upcoming Assembly elections and it will form the new government in the state,” said Hooda while interacting with media persons on the sidelines of the workers’ meeting at Dr Mangal Sen Auditorium here today.

On being asked about CM Nayab Singh Saini’s statement that the Congress spread lies that the BJP would change the Constitution, Hooda said it was stated by a BJP candidate.

About the absence of former speaker Kuldeep Sharma from the event, he said he was an MLA from Gannaur and would attend the Sonepat event.

Appreciating efforts of the party workers and leaders during the Lok Sabha poll, he called upon them to gear up for the Assembly elections. “We have performed well in the Lok Sabha elections. We did not win the Karnal seat, but we put up a better performance. All party workers and leaders should make efforts to ensure the victory of party candidates in the Assembly elections,” he said.

Accompanied by state president Udai Bhan, party’s Lok Sabha candidate Divyanshu Budhiraja, and others, Hooda said if voted to power in the state, the Congress would raise the old-age pension to Rs 6,000 a month. “Every family will get 300 units of free electricity, housewives will get LPG cylinder for Rs 500, old pension scheme will be revived for employees, the 100 sq yd plot scheme for the poor will be implemented again,” he said. The Congress would also abolish the portal system, he added.