Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday attacked Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, saying he cannot escape responsibility for large-scale violence during the Jat quota agitation even as top level officers have faced “indictment”.
“Police, CID, Vigilance, General Administration, SP, DSP, DGP, Home Secretary, Deputy Commissioners, they come under Home Department.”
“When even Home Secretary and DGP are changed, DCs, SPs, DSPs and others are held accountable, what does it indicate? It clearly shows that failure was from the top. Top level officers are facing indictment,” Mr Hooda told a press conference here.
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He claimed “while officers have been made the scapegoats, how can the Chief Minister escape responsibility? If officers right up till top level are being held accountable for lapses, how can the political masters not be made answerable?”
He said reports emerged that Army and paramilitary were called to control the violence during the Jat stir, which claimed 30 lives, but kept waiting for orders.
“What was the conspiracy, who let the arsonists go scotfree? the government is only using Prakash Singh Committee as a shield to save itself. They know they have been exposed before the public for their inept handling. Their ministers are saying one thing, their MPs say another thing, this government is full of contradictions,” he added.
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‘Probe by SC judge’
Mr Hooda reiterated the demand for a probe by a Supreme Court judge in the large-scale violence during the stir.
He claimed the Haryana government had set up the Prakash Singh Committee only to divert public’s attention.
“When the report has been handed over to the Chief Minister by the committee, why it is not being made public. What are they hiding?” he added.
Mr Khattar had on Wednesday attacked Mr Hooda on the issue of land allotment to Associated Journals Ltd in Panchkula during the latter’s tenure as Chief Minister and Thursday the senior Congress leader said in the case of re-allotting a plot to Associated Journals Limited in 2005, everything was done as per law during his tenure.
Replying to a question, he said he had not been summoned by any investigating agency probing the Panchkula industrial plot and AJL case.
“Even today, I say I did not release a single inch of land to any builder. If we released land, it was for farmers,” he added.
Mr Hooda said, “as far as putting me behind bars is concerned, if I have done anything wrong, this is the job is for the courts”. -- PTI