Come to Haryana for Debate, Face Questions from Our Yuva Morcha Chief- Haryana Chief Minister to Rahul Gandhi I Will Arrange the Venue, Says CM
Congress Should Approach Election Commission or Courts Over Electoral Complaints Instead of Making Allegations- CM
CM Questions Punjab’s Crop Procurement System, Says Haryana Farmers Receive Payments Within 48–72 Hours
Chandigarh, November 6
Haryana Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini on Friday took a swipe at Congress leader Sh. Rahul Gandhi over his debate challenge, inviting him to Haryana to face questions from the BJP Yuva Morcha president. Offering to arrange the venue himself, the Chief Minister said Gandhi could not expect to make what he described as false allegations without facing questions in return. It cannot be a one-sided affair where someone makes false claims and then walks away, he remarked.
The Chief Minister said that if the Congress had any grievances regarding the electoral process, it should present its case before the Chief Election Commissioner. The Election Commission is an independent institution, and the doors of the courts are also open. He questioned why the Congress is unwilling to approach these forums, saying that merely making allegations from home for public consumption would serve no purpose.
Sh. Nayab Singh Saini was interacting with mediapersons at Haryana Niwas on Friday after transferring funds under various government welfare schemes. He responded to questions on government initiatives, crop procurement, allegations levelled by the Congress and several other issues. Cabinet Minister Sh. Krishan Bedi, Chief Secretary Sh Anurag Rastogi and other senior officers were also present.
Launching a sharp attack on the Congress, the Chief Minister said the party had no substantive issue to take to the people and is therefore attempting to mislead the country in the name of "vote theft" while casting doubts on the credibility of democracy and the Election Commission. He said that if the Congress had complaints about voters' names being deleted or incorrectly recorded, the Election Commission had already prescribed a procedure for raising objections. Electoral rolls had been made available in the public domain, and a month's time had been provided for filing objections through the prescribed forms.
Despite these provisions, he said, the Congress continued to mislead the public. He said people were watching these developments closely and would no longer be swayed by such claims. There has been no vote theft. What the Congress is facing today is the consequence of its own actions. People are now even saying that the Congress should shut down the party, he remarked. The Chief Minister said that during Congress rule, elderly people often went without pensions for as long as six months and were forced to make repeated visits to government offices and political leaders to secure their dues. Many, he said, had to wait outside offices in the scorching sun, with no one willing to listen to their grievances.
He said Congress leaders were now raising allegations of vote theft but should first answer for the treatment meted out to the poor, elderly and needy during their tenure. He said that under the earlier system, when benefits worth Rs 200 were meant for a poor person, only Rs 50 would reach the intended recipient, with no accountability for the remaining Rs 150. Today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, he said, the full amount of welfare benefits is being transferred directly into beneficiaries' bank accounts.
The Chief Minister said the Congress had governed the country for decades and had been given opportunities by successive generations of voters. People had hoped that the next generation of Congress leadership would bring change, but the situation remained the same, he remarked. He further stated that the Congress lacked a concrete vision for national development even when it was in power and that its politics remained confined to allegations and counter-allegations. At times, its leaders staged protests wearing black clothes; at others, they sat on dharnas, and now they had begun turning to village chaupals, he said.
Congress Only Raised 'Garibi Hatao' Slogans; Modi Government Lifted Over 50 Crore People Out of Poverty-CM
The Chief Minister said the Congress had raised the slogan of poverty eradication for 55 years but had failed to alleviate poverty. In contrast, he claimed, more than 50 crore people had been lifted out of poverty over the past 12 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, bringing positive changes to their lives.
He said poor families had received permanent houses, LPG connections, clean drinking water in their kitchens and electricity connections. The Prime Minister, he added, had helped ensure a dignified life for underprivileged families by providing access to basic amenities. He asked Congress leaders to explain what they had done for the poor during their 55 years in power.
The Chief Minister said every scheme launched by Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi represented an assurance of support for the poor, farmers, women's empowerment and opportunities for young people. He said approximately Rs 7.5 lakh crore had been transferred into farmers' bank accounts through 24 instalments of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme.
He said that Congress was spreading false claims among farmers that the Modi Government would abolish the Minimum Support Price (MSP), whereas MSP rates were being increased every year. Farmers, he said, could see for themselves the benefits they were receiving under government schemes.
CM Targets Kejriwal and Congress Over Unfulfilled Promises to Women
Taking a dig at the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress, the Chief Minister said women in Punjab had been promised Rs 1,000 per month during the elections. Over five years, this would amount to Rs 50,000 per woman. However, with elections approaching, there is now talk of depositing Rs 1,000 into women's accounts. He questioned why the promised amount had not been provided over the preceding five years. Making promises to women to secure their votes and subsequently failing to fulfil them amounted to a betrayal, he said.
The Chief Minister said the Haryana Government had taken concrete steps to fulfil its commitments to women. The government had decided to provide LPG cylinders at Rs 500 to families with an annual income of up to Rs 1.80 lakh. He said his government did not merely make announcements but ensured their implementation on the ground.
Referring to the Congress promise of providing 100-square-yard residential plots to poor families in Haryana, the Chief Minister said that the party had made the announcement in the final days of the election campaign without providing either ownership documents or actual possession. In contrast, he said, the present government had provided eligible beneficiaries with plot documents as well as possession. While the Congress had confined its politics to securing votes, his government is working to ensure that the poor received their rightful entitlements, he added.
Punjab Government Indulged in Politics Even During Natural Calamities- CM
The Chief Minister also criticised the Punjab Government, alleging that it had politicised assistance to farmers even during natural calamities. He said Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi had provided financial assistance of Rs 1,600 crore to Punjab and Rs 1,500 crore to Himachal Pradesh. Questions, he added, were being raised over the utilisation of relief funds in Punjab.
Referring to the outbreak of disease among livestock in Punjab during the disaster, the Chief Minister said people there had sought assistance for the treatment of affected animals. Haryana had offered to send veterinary doctors and medicines, but the Punjab Government had not granted permission. This was not a political issue but a matter of humanity, he said, adding that farmers were losing their livestock to disease and the Haryana Government wanted to help save the animals. He termed it unfortunate that politics had been brought into a matter involving the welfare of farmers and their livestock.
Double-Engine Government Ensuring Crop Payments Within 48 to 72 Hours- CM
The Chief Minister said one of the key advantages of the double-engine government is that farmers in Haryana were receiving payments for their produce directly into their bank accounts within 48 to 72 hours. He said that if payment is delayed beyond 72 hours, farmers are compensated with interest. This is not merely an announcement but reflected the government's commitment to farmers, he added.
Drawing a comparison with Punjab, the Chief Minister said farmers there had to wait for payments, whereas Haryana had put in place a system to ensure timely disbursement. Questioning the crop procurement arrangements in Punjab, he said farmers from the neighbouring state frequently met him and shared their difficulties. According to these farmers, Aam Aadmi Party leaders had promised from public platforms that their entire produce would be procured, but they were still facing difficulties in selling their crops.
The Chief Minister further said that regional favouritism had prevailed during Congress rule in Haryana. At that time, he said, development was largely discussed in the context of Rohtak, but even residents of the region now complained that they had not received the promised development. He said that funds meant for development had been lost to corruption, whereas the present government is working to ensure equitable development across Haryana.
The Chief Minister said the Congress and its allies had neither substantive issues to raise nor achievements to present before the public. Instead, he said, they were attempting to pursue politics by spreading falsehoods and misleading people. Referring to senior Congress leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Smt. Meira Kumar, the Chief Minister said he held her in high regard as a distinguished and experienced leader. Commenting on the manner in which she had been seated during a Congress event in Parliament, he said it was inappropriate and that the stature and dignity of senior political leaders should always be respected.