New Delhi: Much has changed for two-term former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in the past month. From the verge of leaving the Congress to becoming in-charge of leading its election campaign and being appointed as the Congress legislature party’s leader, his fortunes have changed dramatically.
And now Hooda believes that the Congress’s fortunes will also turn around and that it will topple the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government.
In an interview to The Wire, Hooda said people will vote on local issues such as the BJP’s “failure” to keep the 154 promises it made and not based on nationalist rhetoric. As for the BJP using amendments to Article 370 and the National Register of Citizens as part of its campaign, the Congress leader said these issues are “laws and therefore no one is questioning them”.
Congress workers are optimistic
Asked why he believes that the Congress will get a majority, Hooda said: “Kumari Selja (now Pradesh Congress Committee president) and I conducted ten meetings across the state – one in every parliamentary constituency. The despondency one saw in Congress workers after the Lok Sabha elections has turned to optimism. There is enthusiasm and energy in them. Every section of the society is disappointed and angry with the BJP government. People are inclined towards the Congress and it will get a majority.”
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He said the issues in the Lok Sabha election “were different” and that in the assembly election, people will take into account the failures of the BJP government. “They made 154 promises but not one has been fulfilled,” he said.
‘Farmers being taxed more, paid less’
Hooda said farmers were promised that the M.S. Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations to pay at least cost plus 50% as support price to farmers would be implemented. “But they are not even paying the minimum support price (MSP). They are putting hard conditions on it. In bajra (millet), mustard and sunflower, the government says we will only purchase a certain quantity per acre of land. What will the farmer do with the additional crop? He will have to resort to distress sale.”
The Congress leader said that while inputs costs for farmers hve increased and their income has declined. “Under the Congress, there was no tax on fertilisers, pesticides or tractor parts. Now, taxes have increased. Farmers are not receiving the rates they did under the Congress – be it for rice, poplar or cotton,” Hooda said.
Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar. Photo: PTI
‘Loan waiver scheme an eyewash’
Hooda insisted that the Rs 5,000 crore loan waiver scheme announced by the BJP recently is an “eyewash”. “What they have announced only covers loans that have been repaid. So no benefit is going to accrue to the farmers,” he said.
Likewise, the former chief minister insisted that schemes for paying the MSP, like the Bhav Antar Bharpai Scheme, and for crop insurance failed to benefit the farmers.
Hooda said the Congress will waive the loans of the farmers and pay them good rates for crops.
Responding to the state government’s claim of making the state free of stray cattle, he said: “There has been no effort to send cows to gaushalas (cow shelters). Congress gave money to gaushalas, but the BJP has no interest to do so.” He also doubted the BJP’s claim that 27,000 cattle have been lodged in cattle shelters.
The BJP has claimed that it inherited the problem of unemployment, but yet managed to provide 5 lakh jobs in all, with more than 60,000 of those in the public sector. Hooda called this “baseless”, adding, “Haryana has the highest unemployment rate at 28%. Just see how many people have been rendered jobless in Gurgaon or Faridabad. Unemployment increased at a rapid pace.”
‘No dynasty politics or casteism in Congress’
The Congress leader also denied the BJP’s claim of having ridden the state of dynasty politics and casteism. “There are several BJP leaders in Haryana whose children are also politicians. Be it anyone, even a journalist, if your child can become a better journalist than you, then why would you have a problem. These issues have no meaning. But yes, if someone is imposed against the wishes of the people, then that is not correct. That is ‘parivarvaad’ or dynasty politics.”
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As for casteism, the Jat leader said: “The Congress has never believed in casteism. It is the domain of the BJP. I ran the government for ten years. I knew if there is development of the state, then all 36 ‘biradaris’ (castes) would gain. If a road or school is constructed, everyone benefits. Then where is the issue of casteism.”
‘Decision on leadership changes was delayed’
Asked about his long tussle with former state Congress president Ashok Tanwar, who was replaced earlier this month by Kumari Selja, Hooda said: “No, there was no tussle in the party. Our leader is Sonia Gandhi, the other office-bearers keep changing. It is not new.”
On whether Selja and he have enough time to prepare the Congress for polls, due on October 21, he said, “It is true that the decision is slightly delayed. But it is better late than never. We have to look forward.”
File photo: Congress President Rahul Gandhi with Kumari Selja. Photo: PTI
‘Article 370, NRC not election issues’
While he acknowledged that his stance on the dilution of Article 370 was contrary to that of his party, Hooda said that the youth of Haryana were in favour of the move. “However, the issue was approved by the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. No one opposes a law,” he said.
Hooda also agreed with Khattar on the need for Haryana to have an NRC along the lines of that in Assam. He said: “This is the law of the land. It exists in every country. I cannot stay forever in a foreign country as an outsider.”
When he was again questioned that the Congress had a different view, he replied: “The BJP is trying to use the NRC for political gains. Why did they not identify (outsiders) for five years?”
If he would implement NRC if a Congress government was formed, Hooda repeated: “That is the law of the land. Our government had tried earlier too.”
‘Government didn’t handle law and order situations’
When asked why he accused the Khattar government of failing repeatedly in maintaining law and order situation – during violence at Rampal Ashram in Hisar, action on Ram Rahim in Sirsa, Panchkula firing that killed 39, as also Jat agitation – Hooda said: “We governed for ten years and handled many bigger agitations much better.
“We never called the Army. But they did so. It is the government’s responsibility to handle such agitations. There was never so much loss of life and property.”
Hooda also accused the Khattar government of putting the recommendation that the Prakash Singh Committee made about the violence in cold storage. “The BJP said the truth will be revealed when the report comes. When the report came, they don’t talk about it and the recommendations have been hidden. Why? Because from the chapters that were made public, it was revealed that the committee held the deputy commissioner, inspector general, home secretary and the Chief Minister’s Office itself responsible.”
‘Most corrupt government’
On Khattar’s big claim that his government is “honest” but other parties are ensuring the continuation of corruption in areas such as stone mining, Hooda retorted: “There have been so many scams during the BJP’s rule: in the procurement of pulses, in electricity meter purchases, thousands of crores of scams in mining, overloading and KM Scheme. This is the most corrupt government.”
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He said the government also brought up the case against him pertaining to land in Gurugram only to mount political pressure. “I did not do anything wrong. Some decisions were taken in public interest. They are all sub-judice. I have faith in the judiciary, the truth will emerge.”
‘Direct fight between Congress and BJP’
On how the state’s politics changed over the past five years, especially in the wake of the split in the Indian National Lok Dal, Hooda said: “Till last time, the INLD was the main opposition party (with 19 seats). Now they are the ‘sahyogi dal’ (supporting party). After three years, Dushyant (who split from the INLD to form the Jannayak Janata Party) himself said so. I had predicted that by the assembly elections, their political existence would come to a nought. They (INLD or JJP) are not going to get any seat. It is a direct fight between Congress and BJP.”
Hooda denied that he and Selja met BSP leader Mayawati to stitch up a “mahagathbandhan” or grand alliance. “I don’t know where this report came from. We never met her. We respect Mayawatiji. There was never a proposal from either side for such an alliance, the Congress will fight on its own.”