Yamunanagar (Haryana): Eyeing support of government employees, Congress leader and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday again promised restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) if the party was voted to power in 2024 Assembly polls.
He slammed the BJP-JJP government for pushing the state into a debt trap, saying that a state that was once at the top of development has been number one in crime and unemployment.
Addressing the Vipaksh Aapke Samaksh and Jai Bharat Satyagraha programme organised by the Congress here, Hooda, who is the Leader of Opposition in Assembly, said Haryana is one of those states which have more debt than its state budget.
“Today the state is immersed in a debt trap. Law and order has become worse. Haryana ranks number two in the country in crimes like murder and rape. Haryana, which was among the leading states, is rapidly lagging,” he said.
The meeting saw a large attendance with all roads leading to the programme venue were blocked.
Enthused by seeing the huge crowd, Hooda announced that the OPS will be implemented as soon as the Congress government is formed in the state.
“A pension of Rs 6,000 will be given to all elderly and we will give legal guarantee of the MSP (minimum support price). The creamy layer limit of backward class will be increased from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. Gas cylinders will be given to women for Rs 500 and sanitation workers would be given permanent jobs,” he promised.
Hooda said he had come to the meeting to listen to grievances of the people.
“In Haryana, farmers, laborers, traders, employees — rural and urban — and every section are repenting. Farmer is not getting the MSP. Today there is no buyer for mustard. The MSP of mustard is Rs 5,450 per quintal but farmers are forced to sell it for Rs 4,000. Potatoes have to be sold at 50 paise per kg in Pipli. It was promised to double the income of the farmer, but the agricultural cost doubled,” he added.
Expressing disagreement with the decision to end the Lok Sabha membership of Rahul Gandhi, Hooda said the Congress would fight a legal battle against this decision. “Today the Constitution itself is in danger, it needs to be protected. We will not allow the Constitution to be tampered with. No power can suppress the voice of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress.”
About the “record unemployment” in the state, he said the youths are migrating to other places for employment. “As soon as the Congress government is formed, we will provide permanent employment to the youth in Haryana itself and will fill vacant government posts,” Hooda added.
More than 24 party MLAs and 50 former ministers, former MLAs and former MPs, besides senior leaders, were present at the programme.
Former minister Ashok Arora, the convener of the Vipak Aapke Samaksh programme, conducted the meeting.
State Congress chief Uday Bhan said the BJP-led Central government is scared of Rahul Gandhi’s questions.
“What is the reason that the debt of Haryana has increased from Rs 60,000 crore to more than 3 lakh crores in the last nine years. Today the petroleum and has prices have come down in international market, but this government is not giving any relief to the common people. The time has come to overthrow this government,” he said.
MP Deepender Hooda said during the Congres government in the state four cities were connected with metro and 12 universities and medical colleges were built.
“The BJP-JJP government has derailed the state from the track of development and has pushed the youth of the state into the unemployment trap.”
–IANS