Bhupinder Hooda counters Om Prakash Chautala, says Cong had no role in jailing him

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 11

Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Saturday countered INLD president Om Prakash Chautala over his accusation on the previous Congress government of hatching a conspiracy to send him behind bars.

Targeting oppn to hide BJP failures

Chautala is targeting the Oppn to divert attention from the BJP’s failures. Public knows that his party had helped the BJP establish its roots in Haryana. — Bhupinder Hooda,  Leader of Opposition

Hooda said while he respects Chautala as a veteran leader, he should not resort to lies just for the sake of political greed at his age. “Baseless statements against the facts does not suit an aging leader,” he said.

Hooda said every section of the state was oppressed due to the policies of the BJP government as unemployment, crime and drug addiction were at a historic peak and farmers had been on the streets for 10 months. “In such a situation, targeting the Opposition instead of the government shows the directionless politics of Chautala,” he added.

Presenting the facts, Hooda said no FIR was registered against Chautala and his family in both his tenures. He was accused of the JBT recruitment scam by his own IAS officer. “It was Chautala who had appointed him as the Director, Primary Education, who on June 5, 2003, filed a petition in the Supreme Court and presented two lists of the JBT selection,” he added.

“Chautala should know that at that time, he himself was the Chief Minister and Education Minister of Haryana. IAS Rajni Sekhari Sibal had kept the original list sealed inside the cupboard before July 2000. How did that list change, who changed and how did the second selection list reach that cupboard? All these questions were raised during the Chautala government and not during the Congress regime,” the ex-CM added.

“Besides, on November 25, 2003, the SC Division Bench handed over the probe into the case to the CBI and not the Congress government. Chautala and others were tried on this order of the court,” he said.