Forget religious differences, maintain harmony: Haryana CM Khattar's appeal to people on Independence Day

The people of Haryana should forget social, religious and communal differences, and maintain harmony, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Tuesday and asserted that 'we consider the people of the entire state our family'.

Last month, clashes broke out in Haryana's Nuh district after a procession of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) was attacked by mobs, and it spread to adjoining areas, including Gurugram. Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the violence.

Addressing a gathering at a state-level Independence Day function here, the chief minister also expressed confidence that Haryana will surpass all other states in terms of development by 2047, according to a statement.

"We consider the people of the entire state our family. The day we assumed the responsibility of 'Jan Sewa' in the year 2014, our aim became to protect the interests of every Haryanvi," the chief minister said. Equal development of all citizens and areas has been the priority, he said.

Haryana has witnessed harmony, equal development and brotherhood along with significant transformation in people's lives in the last nine years in the spirit of 'Haryana Ek-Haryanvi Ek', the chief minister said. For this, it was necessary to remove hindrances in the path of development, he said.

Khattar also called upon the people of the state to forget all kinds of social, religious and communal differences, and maintain mutual harmony and brotherhood.

On Independence Day, he also remembered those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the country.

He said that 'even after independence, our soldiers kept showcasing unparalleled examples of bravery during foreign intrusions in 1962, 1965, and 1971 as well during the Kargil War'.

Describing Narendra Modi as a prime minister with a vision, he said that the prime minister was capable of resolving challenging situations in very less time.

The chief minister said following the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the dream of an united India, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, materialised in the true sense.

By beginning the construction of a grand temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, which is on the verge of completion, the prime minister has strengthened the faith of millions of citizens, Khattar said.

He slammed previous governments, saying since independence, these governments kept talking about the welfare of the poor, but gave no benefits.

"According to the philosophy of Antyodaya of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, we (Haryana) created a unique scheme of 'Parivar Pehchan Patra' (family id) to ensure that benefits of public welfare schemes reach the deprived families," the chief minister said.

The biggest reason for the failure of the earlier system was its lack of transparency, said Khattar, adding that "through more than 100 portals and apps, we have displayed every government initiative and programme to the public".

Khattar said 1.10 lakh youngsters have been given government jobs on the basis of merit.

The Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam has been constituted to protect youngsters from exploitation by contractors in outsourcing services, he said.

"Online passport facility has been started for youths who wish to make their career overseas," the chief minister said.

He said the Metropolitan Development authority has been constituted for the development of Gurugram, Faridabad and Panchkula, and this authority will also be formed in Hisar now.