Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar talks to Harpreet Bajwa about khap panchayats, the Jat agitation in February, his role in the Assembly polls and the beef controversy in Haryana.
Crime graph is shooting up, and many cases of gang rape and violence against women have been reported recently in Haryana.
The culprits will not be spared, and some have also been arrested. We have asked CBI to probe into the murder of a Muslim couple and gang rape of two sisters in Mewat.
Khaps in the state are famous for issuing wild diktats.
Khap panchayats are social organisations with a 700-year-old history. We do not support their wrong decisions, but we support their social work. Khaps have said that children of a same village and gotra (sub-caste) cannot marry. This has been scientifically proven. We believe in it. To pass a law on this is under the preview of the Centre and the state.
What action did your government take on the Prakash Singh Committee report on the Jat agitation?
The committee named 60 officers in its report. We have acted against all of them.
When will you make the Dhingra Commission report on Robert Vadra’s land deals public?
We will table the report and an action-taken report in the Assembly. Before that, we will implement the commission’s suggestions. Although, I have not seen the report yet.
What about Jats versus non-Jats in the state?
Haryana is one, Haryanvi is one.
The perception is that you are a weak CM remote-controlled from Delhi.
Wrong. We take our own calls.
Your ministers are more powerful than you.
It is a perception projected by vested interests and media.
Gurgaon was flooded in the recent rains.
Construction was going on at Hero Honda Chowk flyover. Connectivity to Gurgoan from Delhi is only by NH-8 as the previous government had not built any other routes. We are planning alternative roads.
There is an infrastructure crisis in Gurgaon.
The previous government did nothing in 10 years. We will form the Gurgaon Development Authority by November 1.
Why did Haryana hire people from Ashoka varsity and sign an MoU?
Twenty-two people were selected by the varsity for the government. They attend meetings of the district administration chaired by deputy commissioners. They have been hired as Good Governance Associates and will give suggestions. This is a year-long pilot project.
Haryana Police and the Animal Husbandry Department raided shops in Mewat and seized samples of allegedly containing beef.
It was wrong and we have instructed them not to do it again. It is not their job. There is a different department with a separate cadre of doctors and food inspectors.
Will you campaign for the Assembly elections for a SAD-BJP alliance?
I will if the party asks me to.
Why isn’t Haryana building its own capital?
These things are interlinked. It concerns many other issues, such as Hindi-speaking areas.