You don’t run a state with an iron fist, firing teargas shells: Hooda to Khattar

A state is run by winning hearts of the people and not by firing teargas shells at them, senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda Monday advised Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar even as he warned the BJP leader that the days of his alliance government are numbered.

“You cannot run the state with an iron fist and firing teargas shells on your own people. You need to win people’s hearts,” said Hooda.

This comes a day after the Haryana Police used water cannons and fired teargas shells to prevent farmers from marching towards Kaimla village in Karnal, where Khattar was to address a “kisan mahapanchayat” to highlight “benefits” of the Centre’s three agriculture laws. The protesting farmers also vandalised the venue forcing Khattar to skip the programme. Khattar blamed the Congress, Communists and state Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Gurnam Singh Chadhuni for inciting protests and misleading the farmers.

He was referring to Abhay’s announcement of resigning from Vidhan Sabha if Centre fails to accept farmers’ demand by January 26.

On Khattar’s accusations that he and the Congress party orchestrated the protest at Kaimla village, Hooda said people in Karnal were not protesting against Congress but were protesting against the three farm legislations. “The government needs to shed the arrogance and see what people are showing them. If people of the state are angry over these farm legislations and do not want it to be implemented, it becomes the duty of chief minister to go to Delhi and ensure that farmers get what they had been demanding for nearly two months now,” he added.