Bhupinder Hooda says he will scrap Haryana government’s flagship programmes if voted to power

Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda promises to scrap Parivar Pehchan Patra, double old-age pension, provide 300 units of free electricity and two lakh permanent jobs if Congress returns to power. He also pledges to give gas cylinders for Rs.500, plots of 100 yards to SC/BCs, cheaper loans to artisans, MSP to farmers and re-introduce old pension scheme. Coining new slogan, he plans to visit all 90 assembly constituencies. Huge turnout at rally indicates change in Haryana, said Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda

Holding the ninth edition of Congress’ public outreach programme, ‘Vipaksh Aapke Samaksh’ (Opposition Before You), at Hisar, the bastion of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Jannayak Janta Party (BJP-JJP) coalition, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced to scrap the government’s flagship programmes — ‘Parivar Pehchan Patra’ and ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’ — if voted to power. He also promised to double the old-age pension, 300 units of free electricity and two lakh permanent jobs.

Laying out the Congress’ agenda, Mr. Hooda said his party, if returned to power, would end this ‘drama’ of Family ID and scrap the portal-based ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’ programme. “First of all, we will scrap the ‘Parivar Pehchan Patra’ programme to end this drama of Family ID and the ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’ programme. When the Congress government is formed, the pension of the elderly will be increased to ₹6,000 per month. Every family will be given a gas cylinder for ₹500. Plots of 100 yards will be given to Scheduled Castes and Backwards,” he said.

Mr. Hooda also announced to provide two lakh permanent jobs, increase the cap for creamy layer for backward class from ₹6 lakh to ₹10 lakh, ensure cheaper loans to artisans under Vishwakarma Karigar Yojana and re-introduce the old pension scheme for the employees. The Leader of the Opposition also guaranteed Minimum Support Price to the farmers and provide 300 units of free electricity for poor families.

Launched in July 2019 to achieve Haryana government’s vision for “paperless” and “faceless” delivery of schemes and services, the Parivar Pehchan Patra programme of Haryana government is marred by privacy concerns and large-scale discrepancies in individuals’ details causing inconvenience to the masses. ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’ is an online portal to provide multiple services to farmers on a single portal.

Coining a new slogan “BJP-JJP Bhagao, Congress Sarkar Lao” (Throw out BJP-JJP, Bring Congress government) Mr. Hooda said he would visit all 90 Assembly constituencies in the State along with party president Udai Bhan.

In the backdrop of the BJP and the JJP sharing among themselves all the nine Assembly segments of Hisar Lok Sabha constituency, Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda said the huge turn out at the rally was an “indicator of a certain change in Haryana”. He added that the four key achievements of the present government were unemployment, inflation, corruption and arrogance.

Though Hooda camp reasserted its hold over the State unit with more than two dozen party MLAs, former Ministers, former MLAs, MPs, Former MPs and leaders of all frontal organisations including Youth Congress being in attendance at the rally, the rival faction led by Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala, former State president Kumari Selja and Tosham MLA Kiran Choudhry stayed away from the event.