Clamour for Hooda to head state Cong grows

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 19

Clamour for giving reins of the state Congress to former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was witnessed in a meeting of party workers held here on Saturday to mobilise support for the second phase of the rath yatra to be launched from Samalkha in Panipat on June 3.

Leaders after leaders, who addressed the meeting of party workers from Ambala, Kurukshetra, Panchkula and Yamunanagar districts held here, raised this demand.

“The countdown has already begun for the BJP government and if the Congress high command did not rise to the occasion now and asks Hooda to lead the party in the upcoming Parliament and Assembly elections, a Congress government will be a far cry in Haryana,” said Subhash Chaudhary, a former Congress MLA amidst noise of approval from the workers.

“In the past three-and-a-half years, not a single decision taken by the BJP government has been in the favour of people. This has forced me to step out and launch the ‘Jan Kranti Rath Yatra’ to rid people of this government,” said Hooda.

Hooda termed the government as anti-farmer, anti-trader and anti-people and said all sections of society were fed up with the government.

He alleged that mustard crop was not being purchased and farmers were not getting a fair price for vegetables like potatoes and tomatoes.

Hooda termed the HSSC as Haryana Services Sales Counter and alleged that corruption was at its peak under the BJP and all democratic values were being throttled.

He ridiculed the state government for renaming Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) as Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) and said that this was done because HUDA sounded like his last name.

Hooda called upon party workers to bring the maximum number of people for the June 3 rally at Samalkha on the launch of the second phase of his ‘Jan Kranti Rath Yatra’.

Former state Congress president Phool Chand Mullana accused the state government of trying to frame Hooda in false cases, because of the fear of his growing popularity.

Former minister Nirmal Singh, who was recently released on bail after in a case of attempt to murder, alleged that the BJP was misusing the CBI to settle political scores with opponents.

Former MP Kailasho Saini also said that the party leadership should ask Hooda to lead the party at this difficult time.