Former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda has termed the trade deal with the United States as anti-farmer. He said if animal feed is imported from America, Indian farmers will be ruined.
Speaking to reporters after attending a social event hosted by Fatehabad MLA Balwan Singh Daulatpuria, Hooda said the United States has imposed an 18 per cent tariff on India, while it has imposed zero tariff on Bangladesh. He said this deal will have a major impact on cotton farmers, among others.
The Leader of the Opposition said farmers are constantly being treated unfairly under the present government. “The weight of a fertiliser bag has been reduced from 50 to 40 kg, while the rates remain the same. The claim of providing MSP for 24 crops is also false; Haryana does not grow that many crops,” he said.
He further said the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana generated profits of over ₹2,000 crore, but farmers are not receiving their claims and are abandoning the insurance scheme. Not even 10 per cent of the compensation has been paid so far, he alleged.
Regarding pension cuts for senior citizens, Hooda said the government is now claiming to restore 70,000 pensions, whereas earlier it had claimed that no pensions were cut. “If no pensions were cut, why are they being restored?” he asked. He also alleged that ration cards issued before the elections are now being cancelled, which he termed as “vote theft”. Nearly 1.4 million ration cards have been cancelled in Haryana after the elections, including 54,000 in Ambala alone.
Hooda alleged that the BJP government is targeting Congress MLAs to hide its failures. Referring to the case of the Guhla Cheeka MLA, he said the government has no control over law and order. “An MLA pointed out the government’s failures by showing a ‘jhunjhuna’ to an officer, and an FIR was filed against him. Malicious action against MLAs will not be tolerated,” he said.
He stated that law and order in the state has completely collapsed, drug abuse is rising and people feel insecure. “Only those are safe whom no one wants to kill,” he remarked. Citing a central government report, he claimed Haryana is the most unsafe state in the country. Hooda said he would move a special resolution on law and order in the upcoming Assembly session. He said he would raise the issue strongly and demand answers from the government. He alleged that cases of organised crime are continuously emerging in the state. More than 50-60 gangs are active and openly claim responsibility for crimes, he said, adding that these gangs must be eliminated.
The former Chief Minister said the recent murder in Rohtak, which took place near the IG’s office, reflects the government’s failure. He alleged that businessmen and doctors were receiving extortion threats. Industries are leaving the state and investment is declining. Improving law and order and restoring public confidence are essential for progress, he said. However, under BJP rule, there is an atmosphere of fear because the government is weak, he alleged.
He added that the current situation in the state is similar to the period before 2005, when Haryana was facing serious lawlessness. “Crime syndicates were being run from jails, but the Congress government controlled the situation and made Haryana crime-free,” Hooda claimed.
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