A day after Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar patted his Government’s back for its “satisfactory” response and achieving the target of producing Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim before the Panchkula CBI court on August 25, Khattar found himself in the eye of a political storm.
The Opposition is gunning for Chief Minister, refusing to buy his argument that the Government worked under a strategy and acted with “restraint” to ensure that the self-styled godman appear before the court.
Even as the large-scale violence and deaths of 33 people at Panchkula in the wake of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief’s conviction in a rape case caused nationwide outrage, an unfazed Chief Minister had on Wednesday said, “Whatever we did was right”.
Khattar had made these remarks after submitting a report on the entire episode to BJP chief Amit Shah in New Delhi.
launching a scathing attack on the Chief Minister for his comments, leader of Opposition in Haryana Assembly and Indian National lok Dal’s senior leader Abhay Chautala on Thursday said that the BJP Government in Haryana miserably failed to control and prevent the violence at Panchkula and now, seems to be passing the buck back on court, claiming that they (Government) followed court’s orders.”
Chautala, while speaking at a party function alleged that the Government deliberately led to such a sensitive situation which led to the killings of more than 30 people.
lashing out at Manohar lal for his remarks “Whatever we did was right…”, the leader of Opposition asked him, “Is the death of so many people rightIJ”
Holding the Chief Minister “responsible” for the deaths of these people, Chautala also sought resignation of Manohar lal.
Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar while talking to The Pioneer said that the BJP has a habit of showcasing its failures as success. The BJP led State Government, which again failed to prevent violence in Haryana, is now trying to hide its failures by giving such excuses, Tanwar said.
Was it to strategy of the Haryana Government to kill more than 30 peopleIJ asked Tanwar while commenting on the Government’s claims.
Questioning why the Dera sect followers were allowed to gather at Panchkula despite prohibitory orders, the Congress leader said that Haryana Government has failed on every step and in every possible way to handle the emergency situation again.
Atleast 39 people lost their lives, including 33 at Panchkula and six at Sirsa, while more than 260 were injured in August 25 violence exposing the Manohar lal Government’s incompetence in dealing with situation. The deaths took place in firing by security forces on the Dera sect followers, who ran amok setting on fire Government and private property as well as vehicles in Panchkula on last Friday.
A day before, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had also termed Government’s claims on working under a strategy as “an afterthought alibi”. The two-time former CM had also said that all such excuses are now being given by the Government to hide its governance failures.