Chandigarh, October 1
Lopsided development of Haryana - this has emerged as one of the main issues which has raised the hackles of the Opposition and given the parties to build a case against the ruling Congress government.

The INLD has repeatedly decried the partisan manner in which the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led government has “focused its entire development on Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonepat”.

The BJP is sore that a major part of development funds are being pumped into the Rohtak parliamentary seat. The HJC has more than adequately expressed its displeasure over the partisan functioning of the Hooda government while giving a step-motherly treatment to the rest of Haryana.

President of the state unit of the BJP Krishan Pal Gurjar says, “I have gathered evidence to substantiate my claims. The Public Heath Department alone has spent Rs 500 crore on the Rohtak parliamentary seat of which Rs 314 crore has been allocated to Rohtak district alone. Nearly 70 per cent of the finances have been given to this area in the last four and a half years.

“Why is it that all big projects are being set up in Rohtak alone?” The BJP has already said that it wants the government to come out with a White Paper on the funding of projects.

While HJC’s Kuldeep Bishnoi has been crying hoarse over the discrimination in government jobs, he is critical of the fact that not a single big industry or unit has come to any area other than Rohtak. “Hooda seems to be the Chief Minister of the Rohtak parliamentary seat alone while the rest of Haryana belongs to nobody.

There is no justification in taking every development project to Rohtak and giving most of the jobs to Rohtak residents. The development in Rohtak is for all to see while the rest of Haryana goes from bad to worse,” he maintains. The INLD face in this election, Ajay Singh Chautala, a contestant from Dabwali, too, has lambasted the Hooda government at all his press conferences, claiming that the government is biased in favour of the Rohtak area.

Congress in charge of Haryana affairs Prithviraj Chavan admits that Haryana has grown in some pockets while others are still underdeveloped. “To attribute political overtones to this development is unreasonable on the part of the Opposition.

“There are no political motives and the discrimination is in their minds. The fact is that areas closer to Delhi have benefited in terms of spurt in activity but that only comes from their strategic location and nothing else,” he emphasises.Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, too, justifies, “The Opposition is raking up a non-issue because it has nothing against the government. I reject this argumentfor the simple reason that our government has given concessions to backward areas to attract industries. “ That’s all that we can do,. We can’t force industrialists to set up shop in backward areas and I think, things are looking up in all such areas after our concessions,” he maintained. 

Hisar, October 1
The Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) today promised in its manifesto to fix quotas for each district of Haryana for recruitment to government jobs.Releasing the manifesto here, party supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi said if voted to power his party would recruit at least 50,000 government employees every year.

Besides, private companies would have to hire 80 per cent employees from the state itself while the remaining 20 per cent could be from outside Haryana.

The HJC government would fill over 1 lakh vacant posts in government departments during the first year itself. Jobless youths would be given an interest free loan of Rs 2 lakh for a period of three years to set up their small businesses.

Bishnoi said to provide relief to farmers suffering losses due to natural calamities, the HJC government would put in place a new system for fixing and disbursing relief money. Every farmer would get an interest free loan of Rs 3 lakh for two years for farming purposes. He said his party would seek a workable solution to the SYL Canal issue rather than making it a political issue. The party would ban procurement of farmland for industrial use. Land if necessary would be acquired at market rates. Farmers would be paid a bonus of Rs 300 per quintal on wheat and paddy.

The HJC would raise senior citizen pension to Rs 200 a month. One woman per family would also get a similar pension. Youths, who had crossed the age limit for recruitment to government jobs, would also get subsistence allowance of Rs 2,000 a month.For employees, the HJC promised to abolish the pay band system and to reintroduce recruitments on ex gratia basis.

Every police constable would work only for eight hours a day and would be eligible for a weekly off. Guest teachers and guest lecturers would be regularised.

The age of superannuation would be raised to 60 years. . Bishnoi’s father former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal was present on the occasion.

Fatehabad, September 30
Dura Ram, former parliamentary secretary, who is seeking re-election from Fatehabad, is facing an awkward situation in villages dominated by his Bishnoi community. Supporters of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal are unhappy that he has “betrayed” his mentor and uncle.

The HJC as well as Congress rebel Pahlad Singh Gillankhera, contesting as an Independent, have also been castigating Dura Ram on the issue.

Bhajan Lal today came down heavily on Dura Ram, for “ditching him in bad times.”

Addressing a series of meetings in villages dominated by the Bishnoi community, he praised his party nominee Ran Singh Beniwal who, he said, stood with him when his own blood stabbed him in the back.

Gillankhera too attacked Dura Ram on the issue. “How can a man, who could not be loyal to his mentor, do any good to you,” Gillankhera asked the voters. Dura Ram, however, has decided to keep mum on the allegation. 

Sirsa, October 1
Raju Parmar, Congress MP from Gujarat and party’s central observer in Haryana, today called upon party workers to unite for the assembly elections and for making the October 4 rally to be addressed by party president Sonia Gandhi a success.

Parmar said this while addressing a meeting of party workers in Panchayat Bhawan here today.Three out of the five Congress nominees from Sirsa district attended the meeting.

Ashok Tanwar, MP from Sirsa, Ranjit Singh, Congress nominee from Rania, Sushil Indora from Kalanwali, Bharat Singh Beniwal from Ellenabad seat and Hoshiari Lal Sharma, District President of the Congress, were present.Parmar claimed that people of Haryana had made up their mind to repeat the present Congress government and now it was up to the party workers to capitalise the situation.Parmar said the opposition was a divided house and had lost the confidence of people by forging and breaking “selfish alliances.” Raju accompanied by Tanwar also visited the HUDA grounds, where the Congress had planned to hold the rally. Tanwar claimed that sitting arrangement of 1 lakh persons had been made for the rally