Hooda promoted kin during his tenure as CM: Khattar

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 24

The political slugfest between Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and his predecessor Bhupinder Singh Hooda over incentives to Manushi Chhillar that began after she was crowned Miss World has taken an ugly turn with both sidestaking a dig at eachother with some below the belt remarks.

Seemingly peeved at Hooda’s comments on Thursday that the Chief Minister could not understand the importance of honouring daughters like Manushi because he did not have a daughter himself, Khattar today hit back severely and said during his tenure as the Chief Minister, he had not nurtured his own family like Hooda had done during his time.

The war of words between the two leaders began after Hooda demanded that the state government should announce a 500-yard residential plot in Gurugram or Panchkula and a cash reward of Rs 6 crore for the Miss World, as merely appointing her the brand ambassador for ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ scheme was not enough.

In reply, Khattar said on Wednesday that honouring Chhillar should not be confined to material benefits and said Hooda’s thinking was restricted to plots and cash.

But things did not end here as reacting to Khattar’s comment, Hooda, in an obvious reference to Khattar’s bachelorhood, said he (Khattar) was not at fault because he did not have a daughter.

Hooda also accused Khattar of having denied a job to Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik.

“I merely commented on Hooda’s thinking but he has gone to the extent of making personal comments against me by saying that I do not have a daughter. I don’t have a daughter or a son or a wife. I have not made a family. Hooda promoted his own family members when he was the CM,” Khattar said today in a video released by the Information and Public Relations Department of the government.

Khattar said Sakshi did not want a job since she was already employed with the Railways.

“The moment Sakshi asks for a job, thegovernment will provide her as per the government’s policy. As faras Manushi is concerned, she is coming to Kurukshetra on November 30 and she will be felicitated in Sonepat on December 1. The state govern-ment will provide her incentives as per her wish,” Khattar added.