BJP govt has failed in Haryana, no major projects in last 11 years: Hooda

Chandigarh, Jun 12 (PTI) Comparing the two terms of Congress government in Haryana with the BJP's ongoing 11-year rule, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Thursday alleged that there have been no major projects in the state under the saffron party.

He said the "double-engine government in Haryana has proved to be a complete failure".

The Centre neither gave any major project to Haryana nor could the BJP government in the state could get any such project from the central government, the Congress leader said.

According to a statement here, Hooda said the Congress government instead improved various sectors -- health, education, agriculture and power. His government worked for the Dalits, backwards and women, Hooda said.

Hooda said the Congress government had done "historic work in the health sector as it had built one new health university, six new medical colleges (Karnal, Mewat, Khanpur, Mahendragarh, Bhiwani, Faridabad), AIIMS-2 and National Cancer Institute in Badhsa.

Ten national super specialty institutes were approved in AIIMS-2, he said.

But in the past 11 years, the BJP has not "built a single medical college or university in the state and there is no progress in the construction of AIIMS Manethi (Rewari). "All the super specialty institutes approved in the Congress government were cancelled," he alleged.

In the education sector, he said, the Congress government built Central University Mahendragarh, 12 new government universities, 154 new polytechnic colleges, 56 new ITI and four new government engineering colleges were opened, besides Rajiv Gandhi Education Society was built in Sonipat.

"The foundation stone of Indian National Defense University was laid in Gurgaon, 2,623 new schools were built, one new Sainik School in Rewari and six new Kendriya Vidyalayas were built. More than 1 lakh jobs were given in the education department...," he said.

"During the BJP government, not a single central university, any big government university, polytechnic, Industrial Training Institute, engineering college was opened in Haryana...Even today, 38000 teacher posts are lying vacant in the education department," he claimed.

The Congress, Hooda said, gave more than 2 lakh government jobs between 2005 and 2014.

"The then Congress government made a record of maximum investment and employment generation in the private sector. We made a policy to end the practice of contracting. Foreign companies came to Haryana and thousands of jobs were generated," he said.

Hooda claimed that now Haryana is seeing a high unemployment rate.

"Due to this, unemployed youth were forced to migrate to foreign countries through the "donkey" route (illegal routes)," he said.

Hooda said six new industrial model townships (IMT) were built in the state during the Congress tenure, and big industries like Maruti, Asian Paints, NTPC, Reliance, Honda, IOC, Panasonic, Yokohama, Denso were established in the state.

"The BJP government did not establish a single IMT in its entire tenure. Not a single big investment came. Due to increasing crime, an atmosphere of terror was created in the industry and small and big industries migrated from here... Due to this, the state became the number one state in the country in unemployment, crime, drug addiction, migration, corruption," he alleged.

Referring to the power sector, Hooda said during the Congress government, five power plants, one approved nuclear plant were established.

The cheapest electricity was provided in the country. Domestic and agricultural power lines, transformers and feeders were separated, he said.

"BJP has not established a single power plant or nuclear power plant till date," he claimed.

Hooda said the Congress government also gave free plots of 100 yards each to four lakh poor families including SCs. He said the Congress also started the MNREGA's employment guarantee scheme.

On the agriculture sector, Hooda said the then Congress government waived electricity bills of Rs 1,600 crores and loans of Rs 2,200 crores of farmers.

"Crop loan was provided to farmers at zero interest. MSP of wheat was increased by 126 per cent, MSP of paddy by 143 per cent. Sugarcane price was increased from Rs 117 to 310 (per quintal), the highest in the country then," he said.

"In contrast, the biggest farmer movement (against now repealed central farm laws) in history happened during the BJP government's tenure in which 750 farmers died." Still, they did nothing on MSP guarantee or delivered on their promise of doubling farmers' income, he said. "This government did not even waive off electricity bill or loan of a single farmer, Hooda added. PTI SUN SKY SKY