Haryana Congress' 'Chintan Shivir': Leaders resolve to form govt to 'save' state

Chandigarh: Haryana Congress on Monday held a Chintan Shivir' in Panchkula in which senior leaders resolved to form the government under the leadership of Bhupinder Singh Hooda after the 2024 assembly polls to save" the state. 

During a day-long brainstorming session, senior party leaders and workers also discussed the strategy to reach out to people over several burning issues, including inflation, unemployment, law and order.

Besides, other issues related to farmers, Dalits, backward classes, state's economic condition, and social justice, among others, were also discussed.

The party leaders vowed to oust the "non-performing" BJP-JJP government from power in the 2024 assembly polls.

Former Haryana Chief Minister Hooda, who is Leader of the Opposition, said that he is fully prepared for the struggle for change and that he accepts with all humility the responsibility the Congress has entrusted to him. 

Hooda made a slew of promises if the party comes to power after 2024 state assembly polls.

According to a statement issued by the party's state unit, all the leaders who came to the Shivir "resolved to form the Congress government again under the leadership of Hooda to save Haryana". 

At the Shivir, Hooda said if Congress comes to power in Haryana, all senior citizens of the state will get a monthly pension of Rs 6,000, and announced that 300 units of free electricity and free plots of 100 yards will be given to poor families. 

Hooda also supported the demand for a caste census and said the limit of creamy layer will be increased from Rs 6 lakh to 10 lakh if the Congress government is formed.

Notably, some senior Congress leaders from the state were conspicuous by their absence and rival parties targeted the party over factionalism.

Congress general secretary in-charge of Haryana affairs, Vivek Bansal, was not present, sources said.

Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan had recently downplayed reports, which suggested that Bansal had not been invited or informed about the event.

In the evening when the Shivir ended, Bhan, when asked about absence of some leaders, told reporters that senior leader and MLA Kiran Choudhary and her daughter Shruti Choudhary, who is Haryana Congress' working president, could not attend the event due to some programmes in their constituency in Bhiwani.

Bhan said that Randeep Singh Surjewala was abroad while Kumari Selja could not attend due to some urgent work.

However, rival parties took a dig at the Congress' Chintan Shivir', with Haryana minister and senior BJP leader Kanwar Pal saying the main opposition party should first set their house in order.

"Everyone knows Congress is a divided house and there is groupism in its state unit," Pal said.

INLD state unit president Nafe Singh Rathi said "everyone knows that Haryana Congress has split into six to seven groups and different leaders are pulling their own strings, so such Shivirs will not yield anything for them".      

During the brainstorming session, senior Congress leader Raghuvir Singh Kadian put up a resolution on agri-related issues and said the government should fix minimum support price (MSP) under the C2 formula (50 per cent profit over the input cost) as suggested by the Swaminathan Commission.

The party also demanded that farmers should be given legal guarantee on MSP.

MLA Rao Dan Singh put up a resolution on economic matters and said the state's debt was mounting while investments and jobs were going down. 

MLA Geeta Bhukkal alleged that Dalits and backward classes are being "ignored" under the present BJP-led government. 

MLA Jagbir Malik put up a resolution on alleged deteriorating law and order situation in the state. He said even MLAs are facing threats and no one is feeling safe and also mentioned about the killing of DSP rank officer in Nuh recently.

Haryana Congress chief Bhan said the party leadership is determined and committed to oust the BJP-JJP coalition government from power and asserted that they would not rest till the Congress forms the next government in the state.

The Haryana Congress' organisational structure would be declared soon "and our effort would be to ensure that all active workers of the party are given some responsibility in the organisaton, said Bhan.

Congress is the party that helped the country get its Constitution. The responsibility of protecting it also lies with the party. Party workers have to go among the people with this responsibility. Congress will have to answer the pseudo-nationalism of the BJP through the spirit of brotherhood by uniting the country, said Bhan.

On August 5, demonstrations will be held against rising inflation in district headquarters and Chandigarh, he said. 

Congress leaders said that Azadi Gaurav Yatra' will be held from August 9 to 15 in every district of Haryana, while workers' conferences will be held in September-October in all 22 districts of the state.

The 'Haryana Bachao Abhiyan' will start from November 1. Under this, there will be public meetings of the Congress in all the 90 assembly circles of Haryana, the leaders said.

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