United Congress hits out at Khattar government for neglecting development in opposition segments

The principal opposition party legislators hit out at the state government’s lofty ‘sabka saath-sabka vikas’ catch phrase, in what was a well-coordinated offensive, and blamed the government for willfully ignoring development in the assembly segments of Congress MLAs

: The Haryana Congress launched a multi-cornered attack against the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP-JJP coalition government on Monday during the opening sitting of the winter session of the Vidhan Sabha.

United Congress hits out at Khattar government for neglecting development in opposition segments (PTI)

The principal opposition party legislators hit out at the state government’s lofty ‘sabka saath-sabka vikas’ catch phrase, in what was a well-coordinated offensive, and blamed the government for willfully ignoring development in the assembly segments of Congress MLAs.

The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda set the tone for the Congress’ offensive during the Zero Hour. Hooda, a former two-term chief minister, highlighted the pitiable condition of the roads in the hinterland and how the water-logging spread across thousands of acres has severely affected the cultivators and that the government’s claims were contrary to the ground realities.

“The upkeep of the roads is lacking completely. The situation is such that the roads don’t exist as they are full of potholes... sadko me gadde nahin... gaddon me sadke hain,” Hooda said, pointing out that during the first leg of Rahul Gandhi spearheaded Bharat Jodo Yatra, bad roads left a bad impression about Haryana.

However, much before Hooda’s accusations, the firebrand Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal had already opened the front against the government during the Question Hour, indicating the simmering anger against the government. Bhukkal, a former education minister ticked -off cooperation minister Banwari Lal for giving “incorrect information” about civic conditions and cleanliness of water works in her Jhajjar assembly segment, kicking- off a verbal duel between the treasury and the opposition benches.

Rising drugs menace, air pollution, corruption, bad roads and crime dominated the House proceedings during the Zero Hour with former speaker and senior Congress leader Raghuvir Singh Kadian (Beri segment MLA) politely advising the government to at least look into the issues opposition raises and inform the House about the steps taken.

“The issues being raised during the Zero Hour will remain an exercise in futility if the government doesn’t respond to the issues being raised,” Kadian said.

Congress MLA Bhukkal said people of her assembly segment have been suffering in the absence of basic amenities. She said the roads are full of potholes while people are supplied contaminated water. On the other hand, Bhukkal said, the state government is busy opening one web portal after another without any solution in sight to the problems people of the state have been facing.

“This is a portal based sarkaar and their portals don’t function. If portals will run the government then why do we need chief minister and others...,” quipped Hooda later outside the House.

The sewerage problem and water logging were among the top most issues Congress’ Neeraj Sharma (Faridabad NIT) said his segment has been facing, and Varun Chaudhry said his assembly segment Mullana was suffering on account of bad roads.

According to Kuldeep Vats, the condition of roads in his Badli segment is so bad that one cannot even walk and not to say of driving the vehicle. “Due to bad road conditions, people are using tractors to transport dead bodies to the cremation ground...When will the conditions of roads improve?... ,” Vats asked, pointing out that drugs menace and crime is on the rise and that in the name of property ID people are being cheated.

Nuh segment MLA Aftab Ahmed said the drug peddlers were having a free run while Mamman Khan (Ferozpur Jhirka) said the state government was running away from discussing the issue of air pollution in the House by rejecting his calling attention notice on this subject.

Not only the Congress MLAs but a section of the BJP MLAs such as Satya Prakash (Pataudi), Jagdish Nayar (Hodal) aired issues concerning the problems related to roads.