Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders on Saturday traded charges over lack of development in a bid to woo the Baroda Assembly constituency voters with just over a week to go for the bypoll.
Launching a full frontal attack on the BJP on his third day of campaign, former two-time Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the coalition government in Haryana had no achievements to show after six years in office and was seeking votes through political rhetoric and creating social division.
Addressing gatherings at more than half-a-dozen villages, including Baroda, Mr. Hooda said the BJP’s situation was so pitiable that instead of showcasing its work, the party was demanding answers from the Opposition. “Our list of works is long, whereas BJP does not have a single achievement to show,” he said.
“People of Baroda and Haryana know the difference between the two parties as our government worked to empower farmers. The rate of almost every crop was increased 2 to 3 times during the Congress rule. At that time, the Central government had waived debt of ₹72,000 crore of the farmers, while in Haryana, loans of ₹2,200 crore and interest payments of ₹850 crore were waived off,” said Mr. Hooda.
Counter charges
However, former State Finance Minister and senior BJP leader Capt. Abhimanyu said the situation of Baroda during the 10-year Congress rule was similar to the darkness reigning under the foot of the lighthouse. He said Baroda remained untouched by development. He added that Mr. Hooda was directly responsible for it since he never paid attention to this region.
