Haryana Elections 2024| Bhupinder Hooda points to BJP infighting: ‘CM Saini got Khattar’s photos removed’

Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda during a public meeting ahead of Haryana Assembly elections. (PTI Photo)

Questioned over the factionalism and infighting within the state unit of the Congress ahead of the Assembly elections in Haryana, senior party leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda has pointed fingers at the Bharatiya Janata Party instead, and accused Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini of “removing” the photos of his predecessor and party colleague Manohar Khattar from the parry’s poll banners and posters.

In a recent interview, Hooda rejected the charge of infighting in the Congress’ Haryana unit and said differences of opinion and ambitions within a party are critical for its democracy.

“If you want to see infighting and factionalism, please look at BJP. Today, the internal fighting has reached such a level that the new Cm Nayab Singh Saini has removed the face of Manohar Lal Khattar, who was CM for nine and a half years, from his banners and posters,” the former CM told Times Of India.

JJP, INLD are BJP's B-team

Exuding confidence about Congress winning the Assembly elections scheduled to be held on Saturday, Hooda said that the Congress is on track to overcome all shortcomings from the 2019 Assembly elections when it won 31 of the 90 seats, up from its tally of 15 seats in the 2014 polls.

"There is a significant change in the political landscape," Hooda said, pointing to the 2024 Lok Sabha election results. While the Congress managed to win only five of the 10 seats this time, Hooda claims that the Congress alliance had managed to register an emphatic victory in 46 Assembly segments in the state.

"In 2019 (LS polls), we had leads in only 10 Assembly segments and yet, in 2019 Assembly elections, Congress moved from 10 to 31 seats. This time, we will make up for all the shortcomings of last time," he said.

The Assembly elections held in 2019 delivered a hung House with the BJP emerging as the single largest party with 40 seats, six seats short of a majority to form a government on its own. It eventually garnered the support of Dushyant Chautala's JJP which had 10 MLAs and formed the government. "last time JJP betrayed the trust of the people. This time the public has understood that all the parties like the JJP and INLD are BJP's B-team," Hooda said.

Creating private sector jobs

With unemployment one of the Congress’ key poll planks in Haryana, Hooda underlined his party’s commitment to creating more jobs for the youth and also offered a roadmap to get there.

The private sector, he said, can be strengthened by improving law and order and providing a safe and positive environment to businesses for investment. "When the Congress government was formed in 2005, law and order was strengthened... This helped in improving the overall ecosystem for business and Haryana was the number one state in terms of per capita income in the country till 2014 .. We are very sad to see that law and order has completely collapsed under BJP," Hooda said, claiming that the investments in the state have dried up and businesses are migrating away from Haryana due to the collapse in law and order BJP's rule.

Hooda also slammed the BJP on the issue of recruitment processes getting stalled in court cases, scams and paper leaks and promised to follow the recruitment schedule prepared by the Congress. "First, all recruitment pending in BJP govt will be completed promptly, after that 2L permanent recruitments will be done on the basis of merit in a completely transparent manner," Hooda added.