With announcement of Assembly elections in Haryana expected this month, State Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Saturday exhorted the party workers to work hard to make the Congress victorious for a third consecutive term in the State.
Hitting out at Narendra Modi-led Government at the Centre, he said people have now realised that they made a mistake by voting for the saffron party which has burdened them with inflation. Hooda, who was addressing a party workers’ meeting here, claimed that there was overwhelming support for the Congress in his public meetings and he was confident that the party would again form the Government in Haryana.
Sending out a strong message to detractors within the Congress, Hooda said those who wanted to leave the party were welcome to do so. Further, taking on Birender Singh, who recently met BJP chief Amit Shah and appeared set to part ways with the party, Hooda said those who could not even manage to win the Assembly election (of 2009) were now making tall claims.
Urging the party workers to make the August 24 Panipat rally a big success, Hooda said Panipat is a historical land and whosoever wins the battle of Panipat, would rule the roost. Describing party workers as brave soldiers, Hooda said without them, he was nothing and added “without me, you are nothing”.
Hooda also dismissed the pre-poll surveys which have predicted a rout of the party in the state. He claimed that as per his survey, 37 per cent vote share is in favour of him and the Congress. The CM asked the party workers to work hard for the remaining two per cent more votes as with 39 per cent vote, Congress would be able to form the Government for third consecutive term in the State.
He said that the State Government has implemented a number of schemes for all sections of society be it the farmers, labourers, employees, traders, senior citizens and now it was their responsibility to make a wave in favour of the party by popularizing these schemes in the State.
Hooda said that after the lS elections, he had addressed 53 public meetings in the State claiming that he got tremendous response from the people.
Speaker of the Haryana Assembly Kuldeep Sharma, President, Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, Ashok Tanwar, were amongst those who spoke on the occasion.