beyond-the-polls-khattar-s-vision-for-haryana

Former chief minister of Haryana and veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manohar Lal Khattar once again exuded confidence on 'lotus' retaining power for the third consecutive time in the state.  

 

Despite being the first major test for the party in the Hindi-speaking region after the Lok Sabha elections, Khattar emphasizes that the election is not about individual performance but about the government's achievements and engagement with the public. He highlights the BJP's historical success in returning to power for a second and third term, citing examples of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and the central government.

 

This is the first major test for the BJP in the Hindi-speaking region after the Lok Sabha elections. Since you've mostly led the government, do you think this is, in a way, your test, Manohar Lal Khattar, that can he win the elections on his own?

 

This is not an individual's test. We talk about the government's achievements, and when we share that with the public, we see how they respond. It's our responsibility to engage with them, whether it's about winning or not winning the elections. But this time, at least, we’re feeling more confident than we did during the last Lok Sabha elections. 

 

 

Why? Mr Hooda came and before you, he said in the Lok Sabha that this time it’s gonna be a clear win. Last time you got 10 Lok Sabha seats, but this time it’s only five, why do you think there's more confidence in the assembly elections than in the Lok Sabha?

 

If you look at the history of democracy in the country, whether at the state or central level, you'll see that about 90 to 95% of the time, governments don't get re-elected after their first term. There are only about 20 to 30 instances where a government has come back for a second term, and it’s rare—only 8 to 10 times—when a government has been re-elected for a third term. The BJP has managed to do this in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, and at the center, it was either Nehru who got elected three times or Modi. 

 

Back in Nehru's time, there wasn't really any competition; it was totally one-sided. There wasn't any other party around, and the Janata Party was just starting out with a couple of seats. No party had a real shot at power back then. Nehru won three times, but even he didn’t win the fourth time. Modi's government coming back for a third term is a big deal; people across the country and in the states have been watching. At that time, everyone thought that coming back for a third term was a long shot.

 

BJP will come to power for the third time in the Lok Sabha or not, and whether the Congress will come back, many people are uncertain about it. That's one reason why we lost seats. It's not that Modi's popularity has decreased due to less work by the central government, but there's a common mindset among the public that after 10 years, there should be a change.

 

Why, if the government could come to the Lok Sabha, then the people of Haryana also believe that they can have a government for the third time. The central government has come in, and as I mentioned before, Haryana has a history. From 1966 to 2024, that’s 78 years, and if you exclude the two years from 1987 to 1989 when the Congress was in power at the center and Chaudhary Devi Lal was in charge here, the history shows that in 76 years, the party that has been in power at the center has also come to power in the state. Just look at 2004.

 

In 2014, when the BJP came to power, all doubts were cleared. So now, it seems easier for us in the Lok Sabha elections. In Haryana, there's a big difference; last time, Modi's face was a major factor. This time, it's more localised since it's a state election. When Modi got only 46% of the votes and dropped 12% from the last Lok Sabha, it’s obvious that without Modi on the ticket, your vote bank is going to be less. There’s a difference between us and Congress; they have different faces at the center.

 

In different states, the faces can vary. The face of the BJP at the center works in the states. I've never claimed that my face would be used to contest elections in Haryana, and even our Chief Minister won't make such a big claim about his face being used for elections. Today, the elections are still under the leadership of our Narendra Modi and the BJP. Here, it's about the party's government, the party's ideology, and the achievements of both the state and the central government.

 

I know you might remember, but right after you became CM, I had a straightforward talk with you. It took you quite a few months to figure out how to run the government since you were a first-time CM. It’s natural that at some point, when you’re reflecting on things, you realize that by the time you got a good grip on everything in the state, the party had already given the chance to another CM and moved you to a different role at the center.

 

It’s not like it was just a few months; it was really about six months, and then it ended up being over two years. I’ve worked under the Chief Minister's responsibilities, and if I count six months, it adds up to nine years. Over these nine years, I've gained a lot of experience in Haryana. During my first term, we faced three major crises: the Ram Pal issue, the Jat reservation controversy, and then the Ram Rahim situation. Each of these taught us a lot. Now, talking about my second term, I have to say that during COVID, no individual, party, or anyone can be blamed; it was a natural disaster that affected everyone.

 

Everyone came together for this, and I made sure to include the opposition too. We had meetings with them, and it was all handled really well across the country. Later on, when the Jat reservation issue came up, I’m sorry, but during the farmers' protests, we didn't feel the farmers' problems as much in Haryana. The people of Haryana were more provoked by those from Punjab, and the folks from Punjab even came and sat on our protest site. Right now, with the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections coming up, I’ve been focusing a bit on Haryana.

 

Ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections, there are some villages in the state where farmers have made it clear that BJP leaders are not welcome. 

 

This is only applicable to a few villages. Occasionally, a few may show up, but what happens is that some people try to assert their dominance and push their agenda. There’s a significant portion of the community that doesn’t support this. In villages where BJP has previously had a strong presence, that influence seems to be fading now. In the Lok Sabha, there was a bit more of a situation, but this time in the Vidhan Sabha, it’s not the same. Today, even the farmers in Haryana's villages have figured out that the government will ultimately be the BJP.

 

BJP has promised MSP for 24 crops in your manifesto? You’ve been running the government for 10 years; you could have done this earlier. Congress said same, giving legal gurantee for the crops it its' manifesto, did BJP copied it?

 

Congress didn't include it in their manifesto; they just copied it from us. No, Congress is saying they will provide a legal guarantee for MSP. I say we announced it even before them. Before the manifesto came out, about two and a half months ago, the government decided in the cabinet that we should address all 24 crops. 

 

So why didn’t they do this 10 years ago? Farmers have been asking for this for ages.

 

The first thing to note is that our major crops like wheat and rice are procured by the centRE. Sugarcane is bought by all our sugar mills, whether private or government, and they’ve been doing that for a while. Cotton is also purchased through the central CI system. Millet and corn are the only two crops that have fluctuating demand. We started buying millet four years ago, and later on, we introduced the price support scheme.

 

"We can only say that a lot of corn will be bought this time, which wasn’t the case before. Other crops just aren’t produced in large quantities, and we won’t even get what we need. The central government doesn’t buy them; it’s up to the state to purchase them. People are not planting rice, and if there's any scheme to encourage it, it’s the Haryana government that started it first.

 

There’s also the issue of wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat, which became so big, and when we travel, youth, especially women, feel like, letting let down by the BJP.

 

When it comes to the youth, though, the young people in Haryana are happy. They’re getting skilled, getting educated, and finding jobs. The honest jobs they've secured have really impressed the youth. In the villages, it's all about doing things without any bribes or connections—like they say, it's like magic. There was a time when a well-educated young person didn't have much faith in the system.

 

Nowadays, even those who aren’t very educated believe they can find work if they try hard enough. They feel, 'I want to continue my education too, and the environment for studying has improved'. So, the young people aren’t really upset about it.

 

Athletes are also happy, but a few have tried to bring up political issues to make a statement. There are athletes involved in politics too, and we’re also running in elections.

 

With this whole Vinesh situation, and her placed by Congress, is there a loss to BJP?

 

Not for the BJP, because if they hadn't gotten into politics, people might have doubted something happened with the players, wondering why they’re saying this. But when someone directly enters politics like this, people get it—it doesn’t really matter. Even now, all the players who brought back medals still come to us and talk to us. I have Sumit Narwal, a great player from Asand, who came to me with his medal, just like all the other medalists.

 

Vinesh Phogat couldn’t compete in the Olympic finals, and then the BJP government announced that they would give her the awards and money she deserves as a champion. But she is saying she didn’t receive anything. 

 

The whole situation back then made it seem like something went wrong with her, but now, the committee has mentioned that she did make some mistakes or that her weight was misrepresented when she stepped into the ring, even though she usually competes at 53 kg, and then she played in the 50 kg category. Though we have announced that BJP would give something, we will, after the elections are over and if we come to power.

 

 

Why wouldn’t you give it earlier? You had the chance to give it then.

 

She hasn’t even come forward to claim it. We keep saying someone should come forward because it could help them, but they’re not willing to make an effort. So, what's the point? Why should we keep chasing someone who turned this into an issue? That person never once said, "No, no, I’m grateful to the Haryana government for what they’ve done for me." From day one, she got caught up in Congress’s mess. She pushed herself so far politically. If they come forward, saying we announced it, then we will give it.

 

Another important issue in Haryana is the Agniveer scheme for the youth, which is a big factor in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. A senior BJP minister said they’re reassessing it to see what they can do before the elections, but they’ve not made any change.

 

 I believe the Agniveer scheme is a really good plan for the army. It was developed in consultation with all the top officials in the army, and there was a consensus on it. Through this scheme, the benefits are significant. While the number of people going into the army will remain the same, three times that number—four times as many—will get the chance to serve in society as disciplined individuals. They'll have opportunities to work in the community.

 

What if they don't get jobs, it could lead to frustration, which could lead to crime. 

 

There’s a guarantee for jobs. 

 

But the guarantee is for 10 people

 

No, we’ve given a full guarantee in Haryana. Anyone who stays in Haryana will get a job based on their qualifications. 

 

But, if the BJP loses in Haryana, you won’t even be a minister at the center for the next 5 years. There’s no chance of losing; the BJP will win. 

 

First of all, there’s no reason to lose, and if the BJP wins, those who are responsible will do their jobs. The name of the Chief Minister has been decided, and the ministers will be appointed.