Will seek account of 54 years from Congress: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar on Baroda bypoll

CHANDIGARH: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday said the BJP will seek from the Congress "an account of 54 years" as it remained in power in Haryana on most occasions after it was carved out of Punjab as a separate state in 1966.

Khattar also said the BJP would ask the voters of Baroda assembly seat, where a bypoll will be held in November, whether they want a person who would get development work done or an "inactive" one.

The bypoll to the Baroda assembly seat in Sonipat, which was necessitated due to the demise of Congress MLA Shri Krishan Hooda in April, will be held on November 3 while the counting of votes is to take place on November 10.

"After Independence, Congress governments have remained in power in the state and in the country most of the time. In this constituency (Baroda) too, after 1966, about 53-54 years have passed since then, (mostly) Congress MLAs were elected. Now when we are going into the polls, we will seek an account of 54 years from them (Congress)," Khattar told the media in Gohana in Haryana's Sonipat district.

He said that he had told the people of Baroda after the death of the Congress legislator that they should consider him as their MLA till the new legislator is elected. Khattar said each department of the state government initiated works as per the aspiration of people here, adding that several development projects had been started.

The Haryana chief minister also alleged that Congress legislators never bothered about this constituency. "Certainly, we will tell the people how an MLA of this constituency should be. Whether they want a person who gets their work done or an inactive one. You should elect one who could get your work done in the next four years," he said.

He said that his government completed several works related to roads, electricity, canal and had also announced to set up two colleges, a rice mill and industrial model township for generating employment for people of this constituency. "They (Congress) left several works in the midway," he alleged.

Attacking former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Khattar said the Congress leader used to say that Baroda and Kiloi constituencies were given equal treatment. "If these are equal eyes, then who told you to see more from one eye and putting a spectacle on the other one. The works like in Kiloi should also have been done here (Baroda)," he said.

Garhi Sampla Kiloi is the home constituency of Hooda. Khattar said the ruling party will go door to door and establish personal contact with 1.50 lakh people in Baroda and tell people about the development work done by his government.

He said the BJP-JJP alliance will fight the Baroda bypoll on the issues of development, transparency in government functioning and employment. He said his government would start purchasing groundnut from farmers in Fatehabad, Sirsa and Hisar.

He further said that out of 3.20 lakh paddy growers in Haryana, 1.22 lakh have given their consent for receiving payment through Arthiyas (commission agents) and rest will receive direct payments.Khattar said out of the total 15 lakh metric tonne of arrival of paddy, 11 lakh MT has been purchased so far.

He said that his government was buying 'bajra' (millet) at a rate of Rs 2,150 per quintal.