Khattar govt's only achievement is renaming old schemes: Hooda

Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today hit out at the nine-month old BJP government in the state, saying its only achievement was to rename the schemes of the previous Congress regime.
Hooda also charged the Manohar Lal Khattar government of not fulfilling any promise it had made to the electorate before the assembly elections in mid-October last year.
"What is their (BJP's) achievement in nine months of rule? Just rename many schemes which we formulated during our time. When people ask me to rate this government, I tell them that their answer sheet is blank and I don't want to mark them below zero," Hooda said.

"They brought new sports policy and renamed our SPAT test with Speed test. They created so much hullabaloo over introducing Yoga, whereas in reality Yoga instructors were appointed during our time," he alleged.
"Even Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev used to visit Haryana on numerous occasions. So what is new they have done apart from just politicising the whole thing," Hooda, who has been Chief Minister twice, said.
"We introduced pillar box scheme in the power sector, under which those paying bills regularly in rural areas would get round-the-clock supply, now they renamed it as Mhara Gaon, Jagmag Gaon' (our village, illuminated village) scheme. So, I would say that this government is just a Namkaran Sarkar," he said.

On Union Minister Nitin Gadkari laying foundation stones of 326.40 km-long three national highway projects in Haryana, Hooda said, land for these projects had already been acquired during the previous Congress regime.

"Ask them, have they acquired a single inch of land for any project," he said.
"The BJP only made false promises to the people before Assembly polls. They promised pay scale to employees on Punjab pattern, Rs 2,000 as old age pension, they told farmers that they will implement the recommendations of Swaminathan Commission," Hooda said.
"Every section including traders, sports persons and Safai Karamcharis were befooled by their hollow promises," he charged, adding various sections of the common people including employees were now on warpath as they felt betrayed.

"But as these sections raise their voice in a democratic fashion against this government, they are lathicharged and their voice is muzzled," the senior Congress leader said.
"When they are confronted by people, the plea which the present government takes is to again befool them by telling them that they are setting right the mess created by the previous government," he said.