Haryana CM: Atrocities Against SCs Were Not Recorded During the Cong Regime

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar took a jab at the Congress on Tuesday, claiming that under the opposition party’s rule, incidences of atrocities against members of Scheduled Caste (SC) groups were either not reported at all or, if they were, were repressed.

In the state Assembly here, Khattar said that the victims of such crimes have to go from pillar to post in order to get their complaints lodged.

He said that once the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took office in Haryana in 2014, police stations were given strong instructions to make sure that anybody wishing to file a police report was able to do so without any difficulties.

In response to a query from Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLA Abhay Singh Chautala concerning the corruption cases filed in different boards, departments, and companies, Khattar stated that upon receipt of a graft complaint, a FIR is initially filed and subsequent action is taken based on the findings of the investigation.

In response to a number of questions posed by House members, the chief minister said that MLAs may get information on local development projects from any official as they are elected representatives of the people.

In response to a query from Congress MLA B B Batra, Khattar said that lawmakers are free to visit any government office and speak with any person there to learn more about the development initiatives in their districts.

He told the House that, in accordance with the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report, the unemployment rate in Haryana from July to September was 5.2%, while the national rate was 6.6%. The opposition frequently criticizes the BJP-led government for the high unemployment rate in the state.

According to Khattar, during the same time period, the unemployment rate was “14.5% in Himachal Pradesh, 8.8% in Punjab, and 12% in Rajasthan.”

The chief minister said that 11.88 percent of Haryana’s population lived in poverty in 2015–16, based on statistics from the NITI Aayog.

“Since we took office in 2014, we have made significant efforts, which has allowed the rate to drop to 7.07 percent in 2019–20—a decrease of more than 4 percent. 14,29,341 persons in Haryana have moved above the poverty level as a consequence, he said.

Khattar said that the plan to construct an international sports stadium in Khandra village, Panipat—the hometown of Olympian Neeraj Chopra—will shortly come to pass.

He said that while the residents have requested that the stadium be built on a 15-acre plot of property in the hamlet, a matter pertaining to the land is still pending in the revenue court.

The chief minister further said that the parties have decided to drop their legal challenges and that the stadium’s construction would shortly get underway.

In an interview with journalists, Khattar responded to a question about the choice of a “Rajya Geet” (state song) by stating that a five-member committee headed by MLA Laxman Singh Yadav had been established in this respect.

He also said that Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta must approve the names of the other committee members.

According to Khattar, the Haryana state song would probably be decided upon at the budget meeting of the next year.

Khattar had said that Haryana would soon have a state song that would represent the state’s rich history, cultural diversity, and cultural legacies at the winter session of the Assembly.

The state minister further announced that Union Home Minister Amit Shah would attend the current International Gita Festival in Kurukshetra on December 22 and BJP president J P Nadda on December 21.

He said that Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, would be present at the closing ceremony on December 23.