Two CMs have abandoned Karnal: Khera targets BJP

All India Congress committee (AICC), media and publicity department chairman Pawan Khera launched a scathing attack on former CM Manohar Lal Khattar and CM Nayab Singh Saini for abandoning the people, who had elected them as MLAs. He also criticised the BJP for changing the CM candidate’s constituency within just six months.

“In the last 10 years, Karnal has seen two CMs, but both have fled — one to Delhi after being elected as the Union Minister and the other to Ladwa after the party has changed his constituency,” Khera said while interacting with mediapersons in the city on Saturday. He said the people of Karnal welcomed others with warmth, but they also knew how to hold them accountable.

During his interaction, he raised several key issues while targeting the BJP regime in the last 10 years and said that Haryana would not forgive the BJP for its repeated failures and mismanagement.

He highlighted the unemployment crisis and criticised the government’s handling of the farmers’ agitation. “Unemployment is at its peak, which has been raised by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in Karnal. Everyone knows how the farmers were treated during the protests. The government itself admitted that its CM had failed, due to which they replaced him,” he said.

He clarified the rumours surrounding a proposal in Himachal Pradesh that mandated nameplates on street vendors’ stalls. “There is no such law, and no such rule exists,” he firmly said, dismissing any confusion on the matter.

Regarding the current situation in Himachal Pradesh, Khera clarified that “all government employees are receiving their salaries, but the MLAs have voluntarily chosen not to take theirs.” He emphasised that the Congress was committed to fulfilling the promises made to the people of Himachal.

In response to questions about Haryana’s debt, Khera highlighted the significant increase in debt under the BJP rule. “Since 1966 to 2014, Haryana’s debt was Rs 70,000 crore, but since 2014 to 2024, it has risen to nearly Rs 4 lakh crore. Despite this, there is no visible development. In contrast, the Congress transformed Haryana into a paradise with just Rs 70,000 crore debt,” he said.

Khera also questioned the progress of Karnal’s much-hyped Smart City project.

He also demanded apologies from key ministers. “The Sports Minister should apologise to wrestlers, the Agriculture Minister should apologise to the farmers, and the Defence Minister should apologise to the soldiers. Only then, they can ask for votes,” he demanded.

He highlighted the election manifesto of the Congress and said, “The Congress has kept its promises and it will fulfil its promises made in the manifesto in future also.”

Khera also said Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi would visit Haryana in the coming days, which would energise the party’s candidates.

On being asked about rifts in the Congress, he said there was no rift and claimed, “The Congress leaders are working in their respective areas and there is no rift among us.”