New Delhi: With the BJP’s decision to oust Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, the Congress on Tuesday said the chaos in the state was a reflection of the growing people’s angst against the saffron party and it was time for change in the country. Furthermore, the party accused the BJP and its ally, the JJP, of orchestrating a pre-planned drama aimed at evading accountability for their governance failures and demanded fresh elections under the President’s rule.
Khattar’s resignation on Tuesday, followed by the apparent selection of state BJP chief Nayab Singh Saini as his replacement, occurs amidst widespread speculation about the potential dissolution of the BJP-Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) alliance, reported by news agency PTI.
Former Haryana Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, “They have accepted their defeat morally. People have decided to form the Congress government…This (BJP-JJP alliance) was a ‘thugbandhan’.” Elections should be conducted under the President’s Rule”, as per ANI.
In a Hindi post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh attributed the chaos in Haryana to mounting pressure from various sections of society, including farmers, youths, and wrestlers. He posted, “What we have seen in Haryana is the power of ‘Jai Jaswan, jai kisan, jai naujawan and jai pahalwan’. What they have done in Haryana, they will do to Mr Modi very soon. It is time for change.”
वक़्त है बदलाव का ✊💪
जो भगदड़ आज हम हरियाणा में देख रहे हैं, वो किसान, नौजवान व पहलवान के दबाव में हो रही है और यही देश में भी होने जा रहा है।
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) March 12, 2024
Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala criticised the unfolding political developments in Haryana, characterising them as a calculated attempt to garner votes by sowing division among Haryanvis along caste lines.
“A new ‘trial balloon’ will be out blaming the JJP for all its sins. A new cabinet will be formed, perhaps even a new chief minister. To make people forget their past misdeeds and divert them from the anti-people policies and decisions of the past 10 years, a new ‘label’ will be put on the ‘basket of sins”, he said.
हरियाणा में पूर्व निर्धारित “स्क्रिप्ट” के आधार पर हरियाणवीयों को जाति के बिभाजन में बाँट वोट बटोरने की “राजनीतिक सर्कस” शुरू ।
▶️ साढ़े नौ साल की खट्टर सरकार की नाकामयाबी और नकारापन से बचने के लिए गठबंधन तोड़ने का ‘पूर्व निर्धारित ड्रामा’ । आधे अब भाजपा में और आधे जजपा में।
▶️…
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) March 12, 2024
“Today, the need of the hour is that the Congress should immediately bring a ‘no-confidence motion’. Now the people also have to decide. Think, understand and do justice”, he said.
BJP, Which Is Laying ‘Shakuni Ki Chaupar’, Says Randeep Singh Surjewala
Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that the JJP would likely be coerced into participating in separate elections, facilitating the establishment of a new framework for vote division. He suggested that this maneuver might also involve filing cases against JJP leaders to evoke sympathy from the public. Surjewala further speculated that additional political parties, such as the BSP, could potentially be introduced into the political arena to exacerbate divisions among voters.
“But brothers and sisters of Haryana, what is the truth? The truth is that the BJP, which is laying ‘shakuni ki chaupar’, neither had a majority in the year 2019, nor does it have a majority today”, he said.
“In 2014 and 2019 also, the BJP’s way of gaining power was through division of castes, it is the same today and it will be the same in the future too”, Surjewala added.
Congress leader Kumari Selja emphasised the need for change and accused the BJP of betraying the youth of the country. Selja condemned the BJP-JJP alliance’s actions as a manipulative attempt to deceive the public once again. This manipulative drama of BJP-JJP is an attempt to mislead the public once again, she said in a post on X.
In her statement, Selja asserted that the people of Haryana would elect a Congress government in the upcoming elections. She highlighted the Congress’s commitment to fighting for the rights of the poor, backward classes, and women, emphasizing that this struggle is for justice and the rights of unemployed youth.
हरियाणा में पांच साल मिलकर सरकार चलाने के बाद भाजपा सरकार एक पार्टी के ऊपर सारी बुराइयां थोप कर खुद को साफ़ सुथरा दिखाने की कोशिश कर रही है।
मुख्यमंत्री को बदल कर फिर से हरियाणा की जनता को बरगलाने की साजिश रच रहे हैं लेकिन इस बार इन्हें कामयाबी नहीं मिलेगी।
दस साल में हरियाणा… pic.twitter.com/qdy4b2QO8D
— Kumari Selja (@Kumari_Selja) March 12, 2024
Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Singh Hooda asserted that the BJP has eroded the trust of people. Former Haryana chief minister and CLP leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda expressed little surprise at the developments, labeling the BJP-JJP alliance as a failure.
He contended that the coalition lacked a substantive policy basis and was merely a “thug alliance,” indicating a moral concession just ahead of elections. Hooda accused the alliance of attempting to conceal their shortcomings, asserting that the people of Haryana are discerning enough to see through such ploys, as per PTI.
The Haryana Cabinet, which consisted of 14 ministers, including Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and three members from the Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala-led JJP, has tendered their resignations.
In response to the resignations, Haryana BJP president Nayab Singh Saini, an OBC leader and Member of Parliament from Kurukshetra, was unanimously chosen as the leader of the state BJP legislature group.
