Will reopen Shambhu border after forming govt in Haryana, asserts Bhupinder Hooda

Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today slammed the BJP government for keeping the Shambhu border barricaded and said after the Congress came to power, he would reopen the Haryana-Punjab border.

‘Selja not upset, dedicated to Congress’

Karnal: Calling Selja a senior and dedicated Congress leader, Former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday dismissed rumours of her being upset. “Selja is a senior leader of Congress and comes from a long line of Congress loyalists,” said Hooda in response to a question on the sidelines of a rally in Gharaunda in favour of party candidate Virender Rathore. tns

The Shambhu border has been lying closed due to the ongoing farmers’ protest since February. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who was scheduled to address the rally today, couldn’t reach as he had been advised rest.

Addressing the rally in Ambala City in support of party candidate Nirmal Singh, Hooda said, “The people of Haryana have compared the 10-year tenures of the Congress and the BJP, and have decided to form the Congress government in Haryana. During the Congress rule, Haryana was No. 1 in terms of development, but under the BJP’s rule, Haryana is No. 1 in unemployment, inflation, corruption and crime.”

To woo the farmers, the former CM said, “India is a democratic country. I fail to understand why the farmers were stopped at the Shambhu border in an undemocratic manner. The government should have listened to the farmers and resolved their problems but they were cane-charged.”

“After forming the government, we will try and open the border. The Congress will also give a legal guarantee of MSP to farmers in Haryana. Even in the Centre, we have a strong leader (Rahul Gandhi). We will force the Modi government to give a legal guarantee of the MSP to the farmers and implement the recommendations of Swaminathan report,” he said.

Party’s Mullana Assembly candidate Puja Chaudhry, and Yamunanagar candidate Raman Tayagi were also present in the rally. However, Ambala Cantonment candidate Parvinder Pari and Naraingarh candidate Shalley Chaudhary, who belong to Kumari Selja faction, were not there.

However, in his appeal, the former CM called upon the voters to vote in the favour of the Congress candidates in Ambala Cantonment and Naraingarh.

Congress state president Udai Bhan said, “The Haryana CM should apologise to the people of Haryana for mistakes in the family IDs and ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’, causing harassment to the old-aged persons and farmers.”