Chandigarh, May 12
Government officers in the field are uncomfortable as the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, makes a break with the past to organise a “dhanyawad rally” at Jind on May 14 to thank the people for giving a massive mandate to the Congress in the last Assembly elections. The AICC President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, will address the rally.
The tradition in Haryana has been that whenever the ruling party organises a rally in the state, official machinery is involved on a massive scale in the preparations. While officers of the Transport Department make arrangements for vehicles, those of the Food and Supplies Department are responsible for providing fuel to the rally vehicles. It is the responsibility of revenue officials like patwaris to “persuade” people to board the vehicles.
In the process, the officers used to collect money in the name of the rally, a part of which was pocketed by them. The tradition is very old and no former Chief Minister or the ruling party can plead not guilty.
However, this time Mr Hooda has strictly told the officers not to involve themselves in the preparations for the rally, except those who are required to control traffic and make the security arrangements.
