BJP President Amit Shah on Tuesday hit out at Om Prakash Chautala, a former chief minister of poll-bound Haryana saying his "arrogance" remains the same despite his sentencing in the teachers' recruitment scam.
He also attacked chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda led Congress, accusing the party of pushing the state backwards during te past ten years of its rule.
Shah, who had at an election meeting in Ambala yesterday ruled out any post-poll tie-up with Chautala-led INLD, on Tuesday began his speech at a public meeting here, asking the people to speak out loudly "Bharat Mata ki Jai" as the "voice should travel to Tihar jail."
The BJP chief was critical of 79-year-old Chautala, while addressing a rally at Jind on September 25 had said that he will take oath as Haryana's next Chief Minister from Tihar jail.
Chautala is presently out on bail on health grounds. The former CM and his son Ajay have been sentenced after being found guilty in the teachers' recruitment scam.
"I read a statement of Chautala, that he will take oath as Haryana CM from Tihar jail. I want to ask you people that do you want to choose such a CM who will run his government from Tihar jail. See how much arrogance he has despite having been sentenced," Shah, who has been addressing a series of public meetings since yesterday in Haryana ahead of the October 15 assembly polls, told a gathering at the rally on Tuesday.
Shah was also unsparing in his attack on the Congress, alleging that the State had fallen behind on several fronts during the past ten years.
Attacking Hooda, he said "Woh delhi ke durbar mein mujra kartain hein" (he dances to the tunes of the Gandhi family) just to save his chair, even as the farmers get peanuts for the acquired land, which is handed over to powerful builders.
With Hooda often saying that "Haryana is No. 1" in every field, Shah said that "the State has fallen behind. Be it the issue of women security, atrocities on the Dalits, unemployment, the state has done poorly. No new industries have been set up and even some of the existing industry has been forced to shift, as the State has fallen behind in every field. Time has now come to oust this regime and bring BJP to power".
Referring to BJP senior leader and party's Narnaund candidate, Capt Abhimanyu, he said the nominee was well educated and dynamic.
While BJP has so far not declared anyone as its chief ministerial candidate, Shah further said that Haryana needs a dynamic, well educated and young CM, who will work with greater zeal and vigour for the people of his state.
Shah while appealing to voters to bring BJP to power in Haryana to put the state on higher growth trajectory, talked about the work done by the Narendra Modi government at the Centre during three months of its rule so far.
"We have tried to bring about a change in many things,"he said.Shah said the first change which has happened was that the country has got a Prime Minister "who speaks".
"Earlier, we had a Prime Minister whose voice was never heard, he used to speak mostly in English and rarely in Hindi," he said.
Touching on the issue of price rise, the BJP chief said the Central government is slowly trying to bring these under control.
"Petrol prices have come down. Soon, the Kharif produce will hit markets and from October prices will soften," he said.
Speaking on the occasion, senior leader Birender Singh said that Haryana's politics has taken a turn.
"Those who had been misleading people on the lines of caste and regionalism basis, it's time to show them the door," he told the gathering.
Hitting out at the Congress government, Singh said,"Youths are looking for employment, but they are facing discrimination in jobs."
"The BJP government will create new avenues for the youth," said Singh, who recently joined the BJP after snapping his 42-year-old association with the Congress.
Birender Singh also took a dig at Hooda, who yesterday warned of "drastic steps" if the Centre did not take immediate steps to ensure better prices of rice to the farmers.
"Hooda now says he will sit on a dharna for the sake of farmers. Where was he, when 60,000 acres of land of farmers was looted during his regime, did he not think about farmers then," Singh questioned.
BJP's election in-charge and M P Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, heaped praise on Prime Minister Modi and equating him with Swami Vivekananda, said while none among us heard the Swami's speech when he had visited the US, but after listening to Modi, "we felt that he (Modi) is Vivekananda's swaroop".
Comparing Haryana with BJP-ruled States, he said while the saffron ruled states were prosperous, the Congress-ruled state was far behind, with development lacking in villages.
"I challenge Hooda to visit Madhya Pradesh and see the development there. The agriculture growth in M P is 24 per cent and Hooda keeps harping No. 1 Haryana when the State is far behind," Vijayvargiya said.
He alleged that Haryana is No. 1 in corruption. "And now time has come now to oust this regime. An
opportunity has come to throw them out of power, we want that youth should get employment, farmers should get better due and other sections of the society equal chance to be partners in the progress, which a BJP government can provide," he added.
The BJP had won seven out of the eight seats it contested from Haryana in the Lok Sabha polls and the party is now fighting on all the 90 Assembly seats on its own after its ally Haryana Janhit Congress snapped ties accusing the saffron party of "repeated betrayal".
"The BJP government will create new avenues for the youth," said Singh, who recently joined the BJP after snapping his 42-year-old association with the Congress.
Birender Singh also took a dig at Hooda, who yesterday warned of "drastic steps" if the Centre did not take immediate steps to ensure better prices of rice to the farmers.
"Hooda now says he will sit on a dharna for the sake of farmers. Where was he, when 60,000 acres of land of farmers was looted during his regime, did he not think about farmers then," Singh questioned.
BJP's election in-charge and M P Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, heaped praise on Prime Minister Modi and equating him with Swami Vivekananda, said while none among us heard the Swami's speech when he had visited the US, but after listening to Modi, "we felt that he (Modi) is Vivekananda's swaroop".
Comparing Haryana with BJP-ruled States, he said while the saffron ruled states were prosperous, the Congress-ruled state was far behind, with development lacking in villages.
"I challenge Hooda to visit Madhya Pradesh and see the development there. The agriculture growth in M P is 24 per cent and Hooda keeps harping No. 1 Haryana when the State is far behind," Vijayvargiya said.
He alleged that Haryana is No. 1 in corruption. "And now time has come now to oust this regime. An
opportunity has come to throw them out of power, we want that youth should get employment, farmers should get better due and other sections of the society equal chance to be partners in the progress, which a BJP government can provide," he added.
The BJP had won seven out of the eight seats it contested from Haryana in the Lok Sabha polls and the party is now fighting on all the 90 Assembly seats on its own after its ally Haryana Janhit Congress snapped ties accusing the saffron party of "repeated betrayal".