Meham MLA Balraj Kundu announced withdrawal of support to BJP-JJP Haryana government. (Source: ANI-Express)
Haryana’s independent MLA from Meham constituency Balraj Kundu announced his withdrawal of support from the BJP-JJP government in the Vidhan Sabha on Friday.
Referring to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar as “bhrashtachariyon ka mukhiya” (leader of corrupt), Kundu submitted his two-page letter to Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, immediately after the Question Hour concluded in the ongoing Haryana Vidhan Sabha budget session.
“After getting elected from Meham, I had discussed with people of my constituency and given my support to an honest Chief Minister and an honest government. Considering Manohar Lal as a truthful leader, I wanted to work with him with utmost honesty and wanted to fight against corruption for the development of my constituency,” Kundu wrote.
Kundu, who had accused former BJP minister in two alleged scams, said, “I thought that the chief minister will take stern action against the corrupt former BJP minister. I had full faith that the CM will take strict action in the sugarcane mills scam and against those who indulged in disturbing communal harmony of the state during Jat reservation agitation. But, on February 2, the way in which a clean chit was given to that corrupt minister, it becomes clear that there is a major difference in what the CM says and what he does.”
Continuing his tirade, the MLA added, “I do not have any hesitation to say that all this is happening with the blessings of CM Khattar. He is only doing a show-off of honesty. If I may, I’ll say that the CM is the leader of these corrupt and I am extremely anguished after seeing this face of his. I am a representative of people and member of Vidhan Sabha. When a voice raised by him is snubbed like this, then how would voice of a common man reach anywhere? I have come to politics to become the voice of a common man, a poor man. I followed honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘na khaunga, na khaane doonga’ policy. But right under his nose, if his government’s representatives are shielding an anaconda of corruption, then I cannot support such a government. Hence, I withdraw support”.
Alleging that the state’s cooperative sugar mills had recorded a loss of Rs 3,300 crore, Kundu has time and again raised the issue in the House. However, it only led to a heated exchange between him and the CM, to which latter replied, “You may go to the court. There is a clean chit from my side.” On Wednesday, Kundu had accused Rohtak Medical College’s Vice-Chancellor O P Kalra of indulging in “corrupt practices” and demanded stern action against him.
Later, on the sidelines of the House proceedings yesterday, Khattar had said that he would speak to Kundu, but he added: “We are open to ordering a probe if there is credible preliminary evidence to support his allegations. But if there is no evidence, there is no point in ordering any inquiry.”