Chandigarh, June 11
The perceived dissidence in the Haryana Congress is only a “struggle for existence” by those who nurture high political ambitions, but lack support to fulfil these. This is how Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda views the isolated acts of “anti-party” activity by some party leaders.

Unconcerned about any talk of re-alignment among opposition parties to take on the Congress in the next General Elections next year, Hooda told The Tribune in an interview that the recent municipal corporation elections had proved that people supported the policies and programmes of his government. There was no anti-incumbency wave even in his second term. “Peaceful poll means people have consciously rejected the candidates of the INLD and the HJC-BJP alliance who contested on party symbols”, he said.

Visibly hurt, but unfazed by repeated actions of his own party leaders to show him in poor light, Hooda said, “I don’t need any certificates from anyone except from the people of Haryana and from Sonia Gandhi, President of the Congress party. And I have it from the people as well as my party leaders”.

Hooda said no government had done so much for Dalits as his government has. “Yet if someone wants to spread misinformation as a way to air their grievances, people can see through it. This, in turn, affects the credibility of those trying to mislead”.

Elaborating, Hooda said his government had launched the largest-ever scholarship scheme for Dalits covering students from Class 1 to XII. This scholarship goes up to the PG level to ensure that anyone who wants to study is not denied opportunity for want of money. He said his government, among others, handed over 100 yard plots to 4 lakh Dalits and provided water connections to 10 lakh Dalit families. There is a planned allocation of Rs 3,761 crore, 20 per cent of the state’s net plan outlay, in the current budget for the schemes benefiting the Scheduled Castes. His government has spent over Rs 9,000 crore on the development of rural areas.

Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja and Congress general secretary Birender Singh had, during a recent rally, attacked the Hooda government for not protecting the rights of Dalits.

Refusing to go into reasons, if any, for the outbursts by some Congressmen against him, he said, “It is for the state party president to take up the matter with the party high command. I believe in pursuing what is in my domain of operation. When I was called for a meeting to Delhi, I briefed the party president. I was told that I should not be deterred by any propaganda.”

Hooda termed it incorrect the charge that industry was shying away from investing in the state. He pointed out overlooking other states Suzuki had set up a plant in Haryana, a rail coach factory was coming up in Sonepat and industrial model townships (IMTs) had been set up in Rohtak, Kharkhoda, Mewat and Faridabad in areas exceeding 2,000 acres. “From the time when Haryana came into being in 1966 up to 2005, the total investment in the state was just Rs 40,000 crore. From 2005 till date, Haryana has received an investment between Rs 70,000 and 
Rs 80,000 crore and projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore are in the pipeline,” he said. He said Haryana was currently ranked highest on four key growth parameters — per capita investment and income, per person household expenditure and government resource mobilisation. The CM said Haryana was the only state in the country to link economic value to the price of the agriculture land by fixing the floor rate for entire land in the state. As a result, three generations were taken care of when any piece of land was acquired from a farmer for industrialisation. 

I believe in pursuing what is in my domain of operation. When I was called for a meeting to Delhi, I briefed the party president (on detractors’issue). I was told that I should not be deterred by any propaganda.
— Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Haryana CM