Cong accuses BJP of ignoring Mahendragarh constituency

Feeling the pulse of the state’s people, the Congress candidates in this Ahir dominated district are prominently flagging the issues pertaining to the Agniveer scheme and unemployment during canvassing to gain public support for the Assembly elections.

Rao Dan Singh, the Congress candidate from Mahendragarh, accused the BJP government of ruining the future of youths by launching the Agnipath scheme, stating that the temporary job adversely affected the spirit of youngsters who wished to join the Army.

“Ahirwal was known for people who preferred to serve the nation by joining the armed forces. Before the Agnipath scheme was launched, youngsters could be seen practising and running on roads and stadiums early in the morning but the numbers have drastically gone down due to this scheme as it only ensures a temporary job for four years for the majority of the selected candidates,” Dan Singh told The Tribune.

He claimed that unemployment was one of the major issues in Ahirwal as the BJP government had failed not only to provide jobs to educated youth, but also to bring any big industry in the region to generate employment opportunities for locals. Acute resentment prevailed among locals against the BJP government for turning a blind eye towards Mahendragarh, he added.

“The previous Congress government had brought a project to develop an industrial modern township at Khudana village in Mahendragarh Assembly constituency but the BJP government failed to implement it even after a decade. The ambitious project aimed at establishing industrial units there in order to provide employment to the locals, besides ushering in development in the region,” said Singh, four-time MLA.

He asserted that the BJP government had not implemented any mega development project in Mahendragarh in the last decade.

“Haryana was to be given a central university and I managed to bring it to Mahendragarh by making a lot of efforts. There was a provision of a medical college and a central school at the central university campus, but neither the college nor school has yet been opened. We vow to set up both the institutes when the Congress comes to power,” said Singh, a former Chief Parliamentary Secretary.

As far as the electoral battle in Mahendragarh is concerned, Dan Singh is trying his luck in the Assembly poll for the seventh time. He has contested all the last six Assembly polls against the BJP veteran and its former state chief Ram Bilas Sharma but he (Sharma) is not in the fray this time as the BJP has fielded its former district chief Kanwar Singh Yadav to thwart polarisation of Ahir votes in favour of the Congress.

Youths lost interest in joining army

Before the Agnipath scheme was launched, youngsters could be seen practising early in the morning but the numbers have gone down as the scheme only ensures a temporary job for the majority of the candidates.