Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the State was “anti-Dalit and anti-poor”, and does not feel the pain of the poor and the downtrodden.
Speaking during a Dalit panchayat at Fatehabad district, Mr. Hooda said that pro-poor schemes launched by the previous Congress government had either been shut or scaled down by the BJP government.
‘Lies, false promises’
He alleged that the BJP had won the mandate based on “lies and false promises” and the poorest sections of the population were taken in by the false propaganda of the saffron party.
Claiming that the people were now aware of the true face of the BJP, Mr. Hooda said the Congress will take its pro-poor agenda forward when it forms the government after the next elections.
“A majority of Dalits live below the poverty line and access to even basic amenities such as a home, drinking water and education are a problem. Congress president Sonia Gandhi had launched the Mahatma Gandhi Grameen Awas Yojna in 2007. It aimed to provide 100 square yard residential plots free of cost to all below poverty line families. By 2014, 3.82 lakh families were given residential plots and the government started giving ₹91,000 to every family to construct their home,” he added.
Financial aid
He claimed that every Dalit family in the State was given financial assistance during the Congress regime to get a water tank and taps, and 10 lakh families were provided free water connections and 2,00l water tanks free of charge.
He said the Congress government had provided free uniforms to 20 lakh children, free education material to Dalit students and increased by four time scholarships for Dalit students. He added that his government made and implemented schemes worth ₹16,253 crore for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes, which benefited over three lakh families in Haryana.
Accusing the BJP government of applying brakes on welfare schemes for Dalits, Mr. Hooda said the poor and the Dalits were feeling let down as the current government had done nothing for their welfare. Worse, he said, there has been little or no progress on schemes initiated by the Congress government. Mr. Hooda went on to promise that the dignity, security, development and welfare of the poor will be topmost on the Congress’s development agenda.
Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda said the poorest sections of society had been hit the hardest.
“The gap between the poor and rich is growing at a rapid pace as the wealth of the rich is rising at an unprecedented pace while the poor are caught in a struggle for survival,” Mr. Deepender Hooda said, adding that the people of Haryana were waiting for the next elections to elect a government that will work for them.
