BJP sounds poll bugle in Haryana; to focus on farmers, Dalits

Sunit Dhawan

Rohtak, June 23

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sounded the poll bugle for the upcoming elections to the state Assembly by exhorting party cadres to pull up their socks to secure a third consecutive term.

At a meeting of the local units’ office-bearers held at the state BJP headquarters in Rohtak on Sunday, the party leadership shared a strategy to focus on the support of the farming community (primarily Jats) and Dalits, especially in the Assembly constituencies of the rural belt.

The BJP workers were told to popularise the steps taken by the BJP government for the welfare of the farmers and Dalits. As per party sources, feedback was also taken from the workers and office-bearers for the appointment of the state BJP president, and the name of former Haryana Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu was touted for the post.

Earlier, at a ceremony organised to felicitate the party’s election in-charges and newly elected MPs, the BJP leaders accused the Congress of indulging in nepotism, corruption and atrocities on the Dalits and farmers during its tenure.

“We have only 100 days left to prepare for the Assembly election. We have to leave this place with a firm resolve that we will not stop until the BJP government is formed for the third time in Haryana,” said Union Education Minister and Haryana election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan.

Terming the Congress an impostor, Pradhan said the people of the state have not forgotten the atrocities on farmers, Dalits and other deprived sections of society during the rule of Congress.

Launching a scathing attack on the Congress targeting former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son and Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda, Haryana election co-incharge and former Chief Minister of Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb remarked that the people of Haryana had decided that no “baap-beta sarkaar”, but a government of the sons of farmers and poor people would be formed in the state.

Former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said in his address that the Congress had misled the people in the Lok Sabha elections and would adopt such tricks in the Assembly elections as well. “They can also come up with some new falsehood, but you have to be careful,” he stated.

Chief Minister Nayab Saini said the country is moving ahead under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Haryana would also move strongly with him.

“The Congress has built its foundation with the help of lies, and it will collapse in the elections to the state Assembly and the BJP will come to power for the third time. Every BJP worker should expose the falsehood of the Congress before the people,” said Saini.

Union Minister Krishan Pal Gurjar, BJP national secretary and former state president Om Prakash Dhankar, Member of Parliamentary Board Dr Sudha Yadav, Rajya Sabha MP Surendra Nagar, MP Dharambir Singh, MP Naveen Jindal, former Haryana Finance Minister Captain Abhimanyu, former Health Minister Anil Vij, senior BJP leader Ram Bilas Sharma, and former minister and new entrant to the party fold Kiran Choudhry were also present.