The maiden BJP Government in Haryana, which came to power on pledges of providing “good governance” and “graft-free system”, could do very little in ushering in an era of change in the State during its three years tenure.
The BJP-led Haryana Government completed its three years in office on October 26 but the Chief Minister Manohar lal did not have a long list of achievements to flaunt and attempted to blame everything on opposition for his Government’s failure.
Even as the tenure of his Government was replete with controversies and fiascos including the violent Jat quota stir, dera followers’ violence at Panchkula, violence during Baba Rampal’s arrest among other incidents, the Chief Minister boasted of making more than 4,100 announcements related to development works in the State.
While the BJP Government had in 2015 released a white paper pointing towards Haryana’s poor financial position and mounting debt liability, the party failed to improve the financial situation with debt liability projected at Rs 1.41 lakh crore for the fiscal 2017-18. Interestingly, when the BJP Government came to power in Haryana in 2014, the debt stood at Rs 70,931 crore (2014-15) which has doubled since then.
Few of the Government’s decisions including a law barring illiterates from contesting panchayat polls, online transfer policy, well-built grievance redressal system, campaign to improve sex ratio in Haryana are seen as long-term achievements.
However, the BJP’s focus on Hindutva agenda, including cow protection, restoration of mythological Saraswati river and saffronisation of education with introduction of yoga and Gita, overshadowed its initiatives launched in the State.
Three years into the power, the State Government got more brickbats than bouquets. Be it the beef controversy or deteriorating law and order situation, the BJP Government hit the headlines time and again for all the wrong reasons during its tenure.
Former RSS Pracharak and a first time MlA, Manohar lal enjoys a clean image but is now seen as an “inexperienced and failed administrator”, for not acting sternly during emergency situations of Jat agitation and dera supporters violence at Panchkula.
Now, as the ruling BJP and Government’s machinery has gone into overdrive to publicise its achievements of three years, the opposition has termed the BJP’s tenure as “complete failure”
Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has described the three-year tenure of BJP Government in Haryana as “Teen Saal, Haryana Behaal” while leader of opposition and INlD’s senior leader Abhay Chautala alleged that the BJP failed to perform on all fronts in the State.
Here are some of incidents in Haryana, which made national and international news, belying State’s investment slogan, “Happening Haryana”.
Violent Jat agitation
Haryana had in the past witnessed several agitations but the Jat quota agitation in February 2016 was the worst one leaving 31 dead, more than 300 injured and loss of public and Government property amounting to crores of rupees. The issue made international headlines as Haryana witnessed large scale violence for almost ten days disrupting road, rail traffic and even, water supply in the northern India. Two-member panel headed by Justice SN Jha (retd) formed to inquire into the Jat agitation is yet to submit its report.
Dera violence and police firing
Over 40 people lost their lives, more than 260 wounded and property worth crores of rupees was damaged within few hours on August 25 in the aftermath of court’s verdict against Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Many termed the police firing on dera followers at Panchkula as similar to Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Transport and mobile internet services remained suspended for several days in sensitive districts while central security forces were also deployed to maintain law and order situation in Haryana.
Baba Rampal arrest
The arrest of self-styled Godman Rampal in a criminal case after a fortnight long stand-off between police and his supporters in November 2014 was the first major test of newly elected BJP Government on the law and order front, albeit, it failed miserably. More than 200 people had injured as nearly 15,000 Rampal’s followers fought pitched battles by lobbing petrol bombs and stones on police, who had used teargas and batons to disperse them and arrest Baba Rampal from Satlok Ashram on the outskirts of Hisar.
BBBP campaign under question
From the high-profile Chandigarh stalking case involving son of Haryana’s BJP chief as an accused to the manipulation of data on sex ratio, BJP’s commitment towards one of its pet project “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” remained under question. A series of protests by girl students demanding upgradation of their village schools after facing sexual harassment while commuting to schools in other villages or cities, also caused a lot of embarrassment to the Government. Another controversy hit the Government with its Krishi Samvad magazine carrying a photograph of a woman, whose face was covered in a veil, allegedly promoting ghoonghat (veil) custom.
Foreign tours of Ministers
While the State’s debt liability already crossed Rs 1 lakh crore, the Chief Minister and his Cabinet Ministers along with BJP MlAs have undertaken a number of foreign tours. To attract investments in the State, Manohar lal had undertaken three foreign tours to different nations including USA, Canada, Japan, China, Singapore and Hong Kong. Senior Cabinet Ministers Ram Bilas Sharma, OP Dhankar, Anil Vij, Capt. Abhimanyu, Vipul Goel among others had also undertaken foreign visits on Government’s expenses. Sports Minister Anil Vij’s tour to Rio, Brazil alongwith a State level delegation for Olympics had attracted severe criticism from the opposition.
Cow protection
Be it enforcing Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Bill 2015 banning beef sale, appointing a senior IPS officer to monitor cases of cow smuggling or ear tagging the cattle, the saffron party is known for going overboard in the name of cow protection in the State. The Government had last year also collected samples of biryani from Muslim dominated Mewat district to keep a tab on consumption of beef, just ahead of Bakri Eid. Haryana has also witnessed a string of violent incidents involving gau rakshaks attempting to enforce beef ban on their own. In June, a young Muslim boy Junaid was killed onboard a Delhi-Mathura passenger train between Ballabgarh and Mathura stations while his brothers were injured by a mob, which had taunted and repeatedly called them “anti-nationals” and “beef eaters”.
Controversial remarks of Ministers
Health and Sports Minister Anil Vij has developed a reputation of being controversy’s favourite child with his remarks referring the JNU students as snakelets, supporters of Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur as anti-nationalist, questioning DNA of Congressmen, condemning Nehru-Gandhi family. Vij not even spared his own Government and Chief Minister and took a jibe at them on various occasions. Senior Minister Ram Bilas Sharma stirred controversy with his remarks that the Government will go ahead with saffronisation of education system while Minister OP Dhankar had attracted severe criticism for saying that those farmers who commit suicide are cowards and criminals. Another Minister Krishan Kumar Bedi was caught on tape allegedly mocking the Prime Minister’s pet ‘Swachh Bharat’ campaign, saying, “Don’t know what all Modi will make us do.”
Saffronisation of education system
The BJP Government has actively pursued the RSS agenda in education - manifested in the introduction of Gita shlokas and yoga in school curriculum. Apart from holding a week-long event to celebrate centenary year birth anniversary of the RSS leader Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, the saffron party also celebrated Yoga day, Saraswati Mahotsav, International Gita Mahotsav, Haryana’s Swarna Jayanti year in the schools, even as academic standards continue to decline.
Jain Muni at Haryana Assembly
For the first time in the history of Haryana Vidhan Sabha, a Saint addressed the MlAs inside the Assembly last year. Jain Muni Tarun Sagar was invited by the BJP Government to address the MlAs. However, sarcastic tweets against Jain Muni by singer-cum- music composer Vishal Dadlani had snowballed into a major controversy. Dadlani was critical of the address, suggesting that it reflected an unhealthy trend of religion colouring politics. Haryana Police had then booked Dadlani under Section 153 A and 295 A for making “objectionable” remarks against Jain monk following which the singer had visited the Jain monk at his ashram here and apologised to him.
Rajya Sabha poll ink controversy
A controversy had erupted during last year’s Rajya Sabha polls after votes of 12 MlAs of Congress were declared invalid for marking their preferences with a pen other than the one officially supplied. After the incident, the Congress and INlD alleged that the BJP had hatched a criminal conspiracy to subvert the lawfully laid process to elect representatives to the Rajya Sabha in the State. Following the ‘ink’ controversy, special pens had been supplied by Election Commission for the lawmakers across the country to cast their votes on ballot papers in assembly complexes during Presidential polls this year
Name changing spree
During the past three years, the BJP Government continued the name-changing spree. Gurgaon was renamed as Gurugram, Ballabhgarh as Balramgarh. Apart from this, Mustafabad village was renamed as Saraswati Nagar, Garhi Sampla as Ch. Chottu Ram Nagar, ‘Pindari’ village as ‘Pandu Pindara’, Amin of Kurukshetra as Abhimanyupur among others.
SYl canal & Dadupur Nalvi irrigation project
Even after the Supreme Court’s directions to complete the SYl canal, the ruling BJP failed to begin its construction so far. Pushing for SYl canal construction, the INlD has held a series of protests including blocking the national highway near Ambala and four other highways in Haryana, protest at Haryana-Punjab border and at Jantar Mantar in the national capital. Even as the contentious issue of SYl canal between Punjab and Haryana remain unresolved, the Haryana Government drew flak for scrapping nearly three decades old Dadupur Nalvi irrigation project. The Government’s decision to shelve the project was condemned by opposition and farmers’ organisations.
Protest by Government employees
The Government employees of various departments including Roadways, Education, Power, Health Department among others held protest several times in the past three years accusing the Government of not fulfilling its poll promises and backtracking on other promises made for employees welfare. The Government had on several occasions enforced the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) for prohibiting the employees to go on strike.