When BJP, INLD had an oops moment in Sakshi Malik’s village | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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When BJP, INLD had an oops moment in Sakshi Malik’s village

Hindustan Times | By, Rohtak
Aug 25, 2016 04:56 PM IST

The celebrations organised at Sakshi Malik’s native village, Mokhra, turned political when leaders of all leading parties — BJP, INLD, Congress and AAP — came under one roof to welcome the Olympic bronze medallist.

The celebrations organised at Sakshi Malik’s native village, Mokhra, turned political when leaders of all leading parties — BJP, INLD, Congress and AAP — came under one roof to welcome the Olympic bronze medallist. With Mokhra being the biggest and most populated village in Haryana, it was expected for all the parties to give their best shot in wooing the rousing crowd.

BJP leader and Haryana education minister Ram Bilas Sharma felicitating Sakshi Malik in Mokhra village on Wednesday.(HT Photo)
BJP leader and Haryana education minister Ram Bilas Sharma felicitating Sakshi Malik in Mokhra village on Wednesday.(HT Photo)

Besides presenting rewards to the 23-year-old wrestler, the party leaders also announced projects for her village, as they eyed a large vote bank. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced for a sports nursery and a wrestling academy in Mokhra, Congress member of Parliament (MP) Deepender Hooda proclaimed Rs 25 lakh to the village panchayat.

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However, the situation took a curious turn when leader of opposition and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLA from Elllenabad Abhay Chautala demanded the BJP government to set up a government college for women in Mokhra after Sakshi’s name. Giving no chance for the large crowd to disappoint, Haryana education minister Ram Bilas Sharma took no time in announcing ‘Sakshi Women College’ in the village.

Suddenly, both the parties were taken away when local Congress MLA Anand Singh Dangi stood up to announce that there was already a government college functioning in Mokhra, which was set up by the Congress during former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s regime. “Both the leaders don’t even know that there’s already a government college in the village, which was inaugurated by Deepender Hooda,” Dangi said.

An embarrassed education minister then announced to rechristen the women’s college after Sakshi’s name.

Notably, the concerned government college is right next to the school ground where the celebrations for the medal winner were happening. The village panchayat said a new building for the college was under construction, but the college had been functioning from the past one year with classes taking place in the school premises.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Hardik Anand is a correspondent, who reports from Rohtak in Haryana. From petty crimes to big data stories, he is interested in covering them all.

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