Violence setback to slogan ‘Haryana Ek, Haryanvi Ek’

Tribune News Service

Pradeep Sharma

Chandigarh, August 1

One of the worst communal incidents in Haryana’s history in the National Capital Region (NCR), including Nuh, Gurugram and Palwal districts, has delivered a severe blow to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s slogan of “Haryana Ek, Haryanvi Ek” and provided fresh political ammunition to the Opposition to target the Khattar government ahead of the next year’s parliamentary and Assembly elections.

Panipat bandh today, Sec 144 imposed

• Deputy Commissioner Virender Singh Dahiya on Tuesday imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in the district to maintain law and order
• Abhishek, a 24-year-old youth, of Noorwala was killed in the communal violence in Nuh on Monday. Following this, the VHP gave a call for Panipat bandh
• Following the VHP call, all market associations have announced to shut their markets on Wednesday
• The general house meeting of the Municipal Corporation, which was scheduled for Wednesday, has also been postponed

While Khattar and Home Minister Anil Vij were quick to dub the violence as a “pre-planned” conspiracy, the violent clashes between the two communities left the law-enforcement agencies, especially the intelligence wing, red-faced, as they failed to gauge the intensity of the law and order problem and take preventive action which could have saved large-scale damage to life and property.

In fact, in a pre-election year, the communal violence will provide the Opposition the much-needed opportunity to put the saffron party on the mat for its alleged attempts to appease the majority community.

The first salvo against the BJP was fired by INLD’s Ellenabad MLA Abhay Chautala, who even went to the extent of accusing the Khattar government of creating “such circumstances which led to the disturbance of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood, culminating in communal clashes between the two communities in Nuh”.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Anil Vij termed the violent incidents “not as spontaneous but a carefully orchestrated plan aimed at disrupting peace in the country and the state.”

Since the assumption of the office in 2014, Khattar had been repeatedly harping on the concept of “Haryana Ek, Haryanvi Ek” in a bid to undermine the role of religion, region and caste in the state politics. However, the violence has clearly given a setback to Khattar’s pet slogan.

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