NEW DELHI: Exuding confidence after meeting the BJP chief Amit Shah, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar asserted that he would not resign from his position. After submitting a report to Shah on his government dealing with situations arising out of conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, Khattar stated that his government swiftly brought the violence under control.
Reacting to the demands of the Opposition parties for his resignation for deaths of 38 people and injuries to 200 following incidents of arsons and violence in the state, Khattar said that the administration did a good job and he had been satisfied with the manner in which situations were brought under control. “It’s the job of Opposition parties to ask for resignation. There will be no change in the leadership,” Khattar told reporters after meeting the BJP chief.
The chief minister argued that the state administration had waited for conviction of the sect leader to avoid situation wherein violence could have been used by Dera head not to appear before the CBI court.
Incidentally, the BJP chief during his stay in Haryana last month had stated that there would not be any leadership change in the state.
Speaking to reporters, Khattar rejected the allegations that his government had “deals with Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh”. The BJP had sought the support of the Dera head in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.He also rejected reports of a “VIP treatment” given to the Dera head after he was convicted, saying he was temporarily put up in a guest house as arrangements were being made in the jail.