After taking the oath as Karnal MLA at Haryana Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday accused the Congress party of misleading the people by claiming that the BJP will change the constitution and abolish reservation facilities. Saini, who is also the state BJP chief, said that Congress leaders succeeded in spreading the lie that if Narendra Modi became PM for the third time, he would scrap the Constitution and end reservation. "I will appeal to people of state that they should understand the lies of Congress and propaganda they spread," he said.

State Speaker Gian Chand Gupta administered the oath to Saini at his chamber in Vidhan Sabha after he won the Karnal assembly by-election that was held on May 25 along with the Lok Sabha election in Haryana. Saini defeated his main rival Congress's Tarlochan Singh to win the by-poll for the Karnal Assembly seat. Saini was sworn in as Chief Minister on March 12 when his predecessor, Manohar Lal Khattar, stepped down and went on to contest the Lok Sabha poll as the BJP’s Karnal candidate and won the parliamentary election.

Expressing his gratitude, the Chief Minister said, "I heartily thank the people of Karnal for their immense faith in me. Their support indicates that in the upcoming state assembly elections in October, the BJP will secure a substantial majority in Haryana under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Following the principle of 'Sabka Saath-Sabka Vikas', we will maintain the same momentum in advancing Haryana as we have done for the past nine and a half years.”

Talking to reporters after taking the oath, Saini accused the Congress of winning five of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state “on the strength of lies” as the principal opposition party had resorted to misleading people by claiming that reservation would be scrapped if the BJP was voted back to power at the Centre.

Saini said, “The Congress lied to win this election. It is purely on the strength of lies that they won five seats in the State. They succeeded in spreading one lie that if Narendra Modi ji becomes Prime Minister for the third time, the Constitution will be scrapped and reservation ended.”

The Chief Minister said that during the meeting of the BJP legislature party meeting on Wednesday evening, it emerged that the Congress had resorted to misinformation and lies to turn the tide in its favour in this Lok Sabha election. “All through Congress leaders at the national and state levels, including Rahul Gandhi, were seen holding up a copy of the Constitution and spreading falsehood that if Modi ji becomes PM for the third time, the Constitution will be scrapped. It’s such a big lie and it’s unfortunate that they succeeded in misleading the Scheduled Caste (SC) community.”

With the assembly elections due in October, he said BJP workers would reach out to the SC community and expose the Congress’ false propaganda.

On Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda seeking the dismissal of the “minority “ BJP government in Haryana, Saini said that his government had won the trust vote in March and there was no threat to it. Saini further said: “Karnal has signalled its approval for the BJP victory in the assembly elections in October. In the last nine-and-a-half-year tenure of PM Modi, Haryana has achieved new heights in development with the ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas’ motto.”

He said that Congress may have wrested five seats, but the poll percentage of BJP in the LS polls in the state was more than the Congress. BJP secured a vote share of 46.11 per cent against Congress's 43.67 per cent. Aam Aadmi Party won a vote share of 3.94 per cent. The voter turnout in the State was recorded to be 64.80 per cent. The BJP's vote share has dropped from 58.2 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to 46.11 per cent. The Congress, on the other hand, has increased its vote share from 28.42 per cent in 2019 to 43.7 per cent. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had won all 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Hooda says BJP Govt is in minority; Urges Governor to dissolve Assembly & initiate new elections

Former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition in the Haryana Assembly Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday called for the resignation of the BJP government in Haryana, citing a loss of public trust. Hooda said that the BJP government is already in a minority in the Haryana assembly and urged the Governor to dissolve the assembly and initiate new elections.

Hooda said that a Congress Legislature Party meeting has been scheduled for June 10 to further discuss political developments in the State. Hooda expressed gratitude towards State's voters, noting a significant increase in the Congress' vote share from approximately 28 per cent in the 2019 elections to almost 48 per cent in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In contrast, the BJP's vote share fell from about 58 per cent to 46 per cent.

Talking to reporters, Hooda said that while the Congress did not secure any Lok Sabha seats in 2019, it has now won five out of 10, leading in 46 assembly constituencies. He asserted that these results indicate a strong public mandate for the Congress to form the next government in Haryana.

"The people of Haryana have voted not for caste or creed, but for progress and development," Hooda stated. He criticized the BJP for attempting to divide society along caste and religious lines, claiming that the electorate prioritized employment, development, and education.

The former Chief Minister emphasized that the Congress presented strong candidates who campaigned vigorously, resulting in the highest vote percentage for the party in Haryana compared to the INDIA alliance across the country.

Hooda criticized the BJP for failing to deliver on its promise to double farmers' incomes by 2022, stating that input costs have instead doubled. He expressed concerns over the Agneepath Yojana, pension through skill employment, and the abolishing of reservations, which he argued have harmed the state's employment landscape.