FARIDABAD: Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday said the acute power crisis in the state is a result of the short-sightedness of the BJP-JJP government, asserting that the present dispensation has failed on all fronts.
Addressing a large gathering during the fifth phase of the Vipaksh Aapke Samaksh' programme here, Hooda launched an all-out attack on the anti-people policies of the government and said the public outrage against the power crisis turned this event into a rally.
"The people of entire Haryana, including Faridabad, are deeply troubled by the power crisis and this is why this programme has also turned into an anti-electricity crisis rally," he said.
Hooda first wished everyone happy Labour Day and said that workers and farmers are the two classes that have developed the country.
"Even during the Covid crisis, both these classes continued to do their work, otherwise the country would have come to a standstill. I call upon everyone to always raise their voice for the workers and farmers and fight for the solution of their problems," said the senior Congress leader, who also extended Eid greetings in advance.
Terming the BJP-JJP coalition government in the state as a failure on every front, Hooda said, "The people of Haryana are facing power crisis due to the short-sightedness of the government. During the Congress tenure, we had established four power plants and a nuclear power plant in the state. We had taken the availability of electricity in Haryana from 4,000 to 11,000 MW. Even today, Haryana only requires 8,000-8,500 MW. But the present government is not able to provide electricity to the people even after eight years of its rule."
"This is because the government has no foresight. The government provided 750 MW of electricity from the Jharli plant in Haryana's share to Delhi. The government should release a white paper on the problem of electricity so that people know the truth. The government should solve the power crisis, otherwise the Congress will come out on the streets and oppose it," he said.
The former Chief Minister reminded that before 2005, the situation in Haryana was such that students had to go to other states to study and pursue professional courses.
"We decided to make Haryana a hub of education and established one of best universities, colleges and higher educational institutions of the country," he said.
"While being the chief minister, I believed that a country can progress if it does well on the sports arena. Therefore, we made a policy to make Haryana a sports hub, which proved successful. The achievements of the players of Haryana in Olympics and other sports competitions are proof of this," he said.
However, the BJP-JJP government has pushed Haryana in a situation where "we are no teachers in schools, no doctors in hospitals, no employees in government offices and there is no money in the treasury for development," Hooda alleged.
"The present government has buried the state under a debt of about Rs 3 lakh crore. This government is following the policy of Charvak, which advocates making merry on borrowed money. The people of Haryana have had enough and will not tolerate all this. Seeing the spirit of the people present in the public meeting, I can say that change has started in Haryana. This is just a trailer, Haryana will watch the full movie in the coming days," he said.
Hooda also thanked party president Sonia Gandhi for making Chaudhary Uday Bhan the president of Haryana Congress.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhan thanked the Congress high command and Hooda for getting the new responsibility to lead the party in the state.
"The winds of change which begin from here will stop only when a Congress government is formed in the state with three-fourth majority," he said.
Holding the BJP government responsible for the state's power crisis, Bhan said the government has failed to get electricity from the agreement reached with Adani Group to get 1,424 MW of electricity at Rs 2.94 per unit.
Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Singh Hooda said the people are also yearning for basic facilities like good roads and drinking water.
"Roads in Faridabad have been damaged to such an extent that it is difficult to even drive a motorcycle. The BJP has made Faridabad Nagar Nigam into a Narak Nigam. Everywhere there are heaps of garbage and people have to even buy drinking water. In the midst of all this, a scam of Rs 200 crore is being carried out in the Municipal Corporation," he said.
On the occasion, former minister Chaudhary Mahender Pratap targeted the BJP, saying that in the past eight years this government has not done any work except to make 'jumlas'.