Rahul flags drugs, lack of jobs as Haryana Congress projects unity
Parveen Arora/ Deepender Deswal
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi today sought to present a united front at his maiden rally in Karnal’s Assandh by bringing together warring Haryana Congress leaders — former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Kumari Selja and Birender Singh — on the same platform for the first time since the announcement of the state Assembly elections.
Congress MLA’s 31 flats, land attached by ed
- The ED has attached Congress’ Mahendragarh MLA Rao Dan Singh’s immovable assets worth ~44 cr
- The assets include 31 flats in Gurugram and land parcels in Delhi, Gurugram, Rewari and Jaipur
- The development is part of an ongoing money laundering probe against the MLA
- Probe revealed entities linked to the MLA reportedly received ~19 crore of diverted bank funds and the same was invested to buy flats and land parcels
Selja who appeared for the first time at a party rally after the allocation of seats, however, skipped Rahul’s second event in the Barwala Assembly segment of Hisar, her home district. Amid Selja’s continued absence from recent Congress events, BJP leaders, including former CM Manohar Lal Khattar, had invited her to join the saffron fold. She had later snubbed the BJP.
Gandhi at his twin rallies highlighted the growing menace of drugs in the state as he accused the PM Narendra Modi-led government of systematically dismantling job opportunities, resulting in the exodus of youth, and bringing in controversial farm laws that had impacted farmers.
Gandhi further targeted big corporate houses — Adani and Ambani — by accusing the BJP government of catering to the interests of a few wealthy people and neglecting the needs of the common man.
He vowed party’s support to farmers by assuring them the minimum support price (MSP) for crops while also expressing solidarity with the youth and athletes of the state.
The former Congress president underscored the need for protecting the Constitution, which he believed was under threat. “The Constitution protects the poor, but there are efforts to undermine it. We will protect the Constitution,” he said while targeting the RSS. In Karnal, Hooda and Selja sat in silence on either side of Gandhi as state chief Udai Bhan delivered his address. Birender, however, briefly left his seat and walked up to Gandhi to interact with him and Hooda.
Selja later chose to hold a simultaneous rally at Saniana village in the adjoining Tohana Assembly constituency of Fatehabad as
Gandhi addressed his second event of the day in Barwala. The Karnal event was organised by Selja loyalist Shamsher Singh Gogi, contesting from Assandh, while the Hisar rally was held by party Barwala’s candidate Ram Niwas Ghorela from the Hooda faction. Rahul sought votes for the nine party candidates each in both the Lok Sabha segments.
Gandhi cited his meeting with Haryanavi youths who had migrated to the US in search of jobs to flag rising unemployment in the state. “There are no jobs in Haryana. The BJP-led central and state governments have failed to provide employment opportunities, forcing youth to migrate through dangerous donkey routes,” he said.
He highlighted how state youths had spent around Rs 35 lakh each to reach the US with some selling off their agricultural land or borrowing money at high interest rates to fund their travel.
Recounting an interaction he had with the family members of some of these youths at Karnal’s Ghoghripur village, Gandhi said: “The conversation with these youths had deeply affected me, prompting me to meet their families here. A child (Dev) cried at seeing his father on a video call, reflecting widespread suffering among these families. The boy’s cries echo the plight of Haryana’s youth.”
Hooda, in his address, said PM Modi had misled people on the MSP by vowing purchase of 24 crops in the state when so many crops were not even cultivated. Selja and Birender exhorted voters to support party candidates.
