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Credit: DH Illustration
Congress’ comeback in the Lok Sabha polls has enthused the party to make a concerted bid for power in Haryana, where elections will be held next month. After a decade out of power, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda is spearheading Congress’ comeback bid. In this interview with DH’s Sumit Pande, Hooda says the party will give wider representation to all major communities in ticket distribution and post-poll, the CM will be decided by the MLAs and the party high command.
What are the key poll issues in Haryana?
Our policies and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s failures are confirmed by the BJP government’s performance and various reports. Under the Congress government, till 2014, Haryana was number one in the country in per capita income, per capita investment, and employment generation. Our government respects elderly sportspersons and farmers. Now, Haryana has been made number one in unemployment, corruption, drug addiction, inflation, and crime by the BJP government in 10 years.
Congress gave loan waivers, electricity bill waivers, and MSP to the farmers, but the BJP gave them sticks, batons, and bullets. Congress gave more than two lakh permanent jobs to the youth, but the BJP gave them paper leaks, recruitment scams, Kaushal Nigam, and contract systems like Agniveer.
In the recent Lok Sabha polls, Congress fielded a diverse range of candidates. Will this strategy be repeated in the assembly polls?
Congress will be cautious in its candidate selection. Ensuring the participation of all sections, Congress will give tickets to winning candidates. In the Lok Sabha elections too, the party fielded a Brahmin candidate on the Sonipat seat and gave a ticket to an Ahir (OBC) candidate on the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh seat. We fielded a Gurjar (OBC) candidate from Faridabad. In the LS polls, Congress gave five out of its nine tickets among the OBC and SC categories. Only two were given to Jat candidates.
How will Congress fund its poll promises, including providing two lakh permanent jobs, which are cost-intensive?
Congress will keep its promise. In the last tenure also, Congress had given more than two lakh jobs. But the BJP reduced the number of recruitments, and today two lakh posts are lying vacant in government departments. It is necessary to fill them.
Due to the shortage of employees, people have to face a lot of trouble for government work, and this is also increasing corruption. The money given to poor people through employees and welfare schemes does not go to foreign banks. It comes back to our economy. This strengthens the economy and increases the income of the government.
But when the BJP came to power, it stopped all the welfare schemes and cut down on recruitment.
The state has the money, but the BJP puts that money in the pockets of the corrupt, and the Congress will put that money in the pockets of the poor, employees, and common citizens.
How do you respond to the BJP’s claim that Congress is a divided house and that the differences within the party will help the BJP win a third term?
Congress is completely united. The BJP is divided into so many factions in Haryana. But the media never shows news of factionalism in the BJP. The new chief minister has a separate faction in the BJP, the old chief minister has a separate faction; Anil Vij, Rao Indrajit, and Ram Bilas Sharma all have their own separate factions. Now a new faction has been formed of the MLAs who have gone from the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) to the BJP, and another one is being created by Congress turncoats.
You must have seen the BJP leaders accusing each other of sabotage after their defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. Those who had sabotaged the Congress have left Congress on their own.
You recently stated that you are ‘neither tired nor retired’ and remain in contention for the CM’s post.
Of course. Every Congress leader and worker is ready for every responsibility. Right now, our entire focus is on Congress’ victory in the state. Congress will win, and the MLAs and the high command will decide on the chief minister post.
How does an Indian National Lok Dal and Bahujan Samaj Party alliance affect Congress prospects in Haryana?
The people of Haryana have been cheated in the 2019 elections, and they have not forgotten the JJP’s betrayal. The public knows that the contest is directly between Congress and BJP. There is no place for vote cutters in the state. Anyway, INLD and JJP are directly and indirectly allies of the BJP.
Is there a possibility of Congress fielding sportspersons like Vinesh Phogat in the upcoming polls?
All the players are like family to us. It is not right to associate them with any one party. As far as Vinesh joining politics is concerned, it is not right to make any comment without talking to her.