Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday gave full marks to the Bhupinder Singh Hooda regime in Haryana for the tremendous development of the State.
She appealed to the electorate to repeat the mandate so that “development, peace and security” could be maintained.
Addressing election rallies at Karnal and Sirsa, Ms. Gandhi flayed the previous BJP-INLD regime and accused it of having unleashed a “reign of terror” in the State instead of carrying out “development.”
Striking a personal rapport with the audience, she asked them to recall the scenario that prevailed nearly five years ago when the farmers were oppressed, the youth was restless and the common man lived in abject fear, and contrast it with the governance provided by the present regime.
Funds “misused”
While asserting that the BJP-INLD had virtually “destroyed” the State, she alleged that even government funds were “misused.”
Elaborating her point, she said the State’s budget during the INLD regime was merely Rs. 2,300 crore of which only a part was utilised for the State while nobody was aware where the rest went.
Central assistance
Ms. Gandhi reiterated that the Congress regime in the State, with the financial assistance of the UPA government at the Centre, had ushered in unprecedented development. .
Ms. Gandhi added that the State government had set up new industries, focussed on education by setting up new universities, initiated the process of setting up the Rajiv Gandhi Education City, and improved the overall infrastructure.
Asserting that the State was committed to the welfare of all sections of society, including the farmers, workers and employees, she appreciated the launching of a scheme to allot free plots of 100 square yards to the Dalits and the BPL families and the implementation of the ‘Ladli Vivah Shagun Yojna,’ which encouraged women’s empowerment.
The Congress government had also implemented the report of the Sixth Pay Commission in the State, she added.
Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Prithviraj Chavan, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Chairman of the Haryana Congress Campaign Committee Venod Sharma, Haryana Congress unit chief Phool Chand Mullana and Youth Congress chief and Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar were also present.
