BJP chief Amit Shah targets Hooda, says he was serving 'Delhi ke damaad'

Jind: Targeting former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, BJP President Amit Shah on Sunday alleged that he had robbed the poor to serve "Delhi ke damaad", an apparent reference to Congress President Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra. He also lashed out at Hooda for describing the investigation initiated by government agencies against him as "political vendetta", claiming the Congress leader was rattled as the BJP government had exposed how farmers were exploited under his rule and their money gifted to "Delhi durbar". Addressing the 'Guarav Rally' organised by Union Minister and prominent Jat leader Birender Singh here, Shah said Haryana has seen "unprecedented" development under Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who had provided a transparent and corruption-free government. "Previous chief ministers of the state used to look after their own areas and supporters. I want to say here that Haryana has seen three Lals-- Bhajan Lal, Bansi Lal, Devi Lal--and (Bhupinder Singh) Hooda. "Hooda never spared any effort in robbing poor people of Haryana in order to serve Delhi ke damaad (Delhi's son-in-law). Hooda's circle was restricted to just taking care of his family, caste, village and relatives," he said and promised that the Khattar government was for all. On investigations being conducted by government agencies and recent registration of case against Hooda, Shah said, "now when files are being opened, he (Hooda) is calling it political vendetta. "It has now come to fore how the state was exploited by taking money of poor farmers of Haryana and giving it to Delhi Durbar as gift," he said. Shah said nobody could point fingers at the BJP CM and his ministers in the state on the issue of corruption. Without naming, Shah also took a swipe at former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, who along with his son and others, had been convicted in the teacher's recruitment scam. "This is the same Haryana where people are behind bars for recruitment (scam)," he said, adding the Khattar led government recruited people in transparent manner. "This government is for all. It is not a government for any particular caste or community," Shah asserted. "Whatever people may say, I, as the BJP Chief, want to assure Jind people that the BJP government will deliver justice to everybody and ensure rights irrespective of caste or community," he added. Shah said Haryana had been meted out injustice for 50 years. "But in the Modi regime, it was decided to give Rs 30,000 crore more funds under the 14th Finance Commission as compared to the 13th Finance Commission," he said. He accused previous Congress governments for not undertaking development projects in 50 years. "Development projects could not be undertaken by Congress governments for 50 years because the chief ministers used to save their chairs before 'Delhi Ke Durbar'. "But whatever plans were brought out by Khattar for the state's development, Modi ensured their implementation because of which the state is progressing," Shah said. He also said that the country has gained more respect because of Modi's overseas visits. Referring to Union Minister Birender Singh's initiative of developing 40 constituencies, Shah said, "Chaudhary sahib (Birender Singh) you are a national leader and Haryana's leader. Do not talk about 40 constituencies only. The entire state will be developed and it will be turned into the most developed state of the country by the BJP government." As Haryana is celebrating its golden jubilee this year, the BJP chief asked the people to take a pledge to improve the situation in the state. Union Minister Birender Singh, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Cabinet ministers O P Dhankar, Anil Vij, Captain Abhimanyu were also present on the occasion. "During 10 years of the UPA rule, Sonia (Gandhi) and Manmohan (Singh) government was there (at Centre). And during these 10 years, scam to the tune of Rs 12 lakh crore took place. "But during two-and-half years of Modi regime, our opponents cannot level any allegation pertaining to corruption against the Centre. The country's money is now being used for providing gas stove for poor mothers," Shah claimed. The BJP chief also underlined Haryana's "feats" in the field of sports and agriculture. "I have come after two years here and Haryana is treading the path of development. It is a land of brave people, farmers and sports persons. It has given a lot to the country. It has contributed towards foodgrain stock, sending people in the Army and bringing medals like Sakshi did," he said while adding that the state's development commenced from the land of Jind. He also praised the state's efforts in improving its skewed sex ratio after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's clarion call of 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padao'. "I want to thank the people of Haryana that in the last one year, the sex ratio of the state has crossed 900 (against 1,000 males)," he said. Shah also congratulated Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar for committing towards making the state kerosene-free. "Khattar has committed to make kitchens smoke-free for which I want to congratulate him," he said. Listing out the achievements of Modi-led government at the Centre, Shah said the Prime Minister has set a target to double the income of farmers by year 2022. "It is not on papers. People were cane-charged for fertilisers in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Have you seen any person being cane-charged for fertilisers now? This is the government of Modi and fertiliser stocks are full," he claimed. "The BJP government has reduced the prices of fertilisers by Rs 200-250 per bag in the interest of farmers. Modi brought the e-mandi concept to ensure remunerative prices to farmers. In next 3-4 years, farmers will start getting remunerative rates for their produce because of e-mandis," he said. Modi had also fulfilled his promise of 'One Rank One Pension' which was announced in a rally in Haryana-- land of brave, he said. The BJP chief said the Centre was taking steps to boost the performance of Indian sports persons during next Olympic games. "Not just one Sakshi (Malik), but more Sakshis will bring laurels for the country by winning gold medals at Olympic games," he said while referring to Haryana native Sakshi Mallik, who won bronze medal in women wrestling at the recent Rio Olympics. To create employment opportunities for youth, initiatives like Start-up India and Mudra yojna were kick started which are giving good results, Shah said.