Bhupinder Singh Hooda questions fiscal prudence of Haryana Govt as debt rises to Rs 4.5 lakh cr

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, July 8

Expressing concern over the fiscal management of the state exchequer, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today said the debt had gone up to Rs 4.5 lakh crore even as the developmental cycle had come to a grinding halt.

Addressing a public meeting in Charkhi Dadri, Hooda said when he was the Chief Minister, Haryana had witnessed growth and infrastructure development. “We set up five new power plants, brought Metro and new railway lines and established universities. The state had a debt of Rs 70,000 crore after so much development.”

“The incumbent government has done nothing in terms of creating new infrastructure. But still, the debt has gone up to Rs 4.5 lakh crore,” he said, adding that when he went out of government in 2014, Haryana was number one on many parameters, including per capita investment, giving jobs, sports and law and order in the country. “Now, Haryana has become No. 1 in unemployment, poor law and order and inflation,” he added.

Hooda launched a scathing attack on the government on the issue of farmers alleging that the BJP had offered them lathis, canes and bullets during its regime while referring to the alleged incidents of lathicharge on protesting farmers by the police authorities in past.

“After seeing the tenure of Congress for 10 years and BJP for 10 years, the people of Haryana should compare the work of both governments and vote for the party that performed better in the Assembly on this basis,” he said.

“The BJP government introduced a contract system like Kaushal Nigam and Agniveer to give jobs to youths. The sportspersons are facing neglect during the BJP government as youth are turning to drug addicts,” he alleged.

He also raised the issue of protest by the women wrestlers as many of the protesting farmers belong to Charkhi Dadri district. “Those daughters went to the BJP government to seek justice, they were dragged on the streets of Delhi. Every person from Haryana carries the pain of that atrocity in his heart,” he said.

Haryana Congress president Udai Bhan said the BJP’s defeat in the Assembly elections was certain, which is why the BJP, which used to call Family ID and Property ID as its achievement, has started accepting the flaws of these schemes.