BJP’s anti-farmer policy to benefit big industrialists, says Hooda

Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda kicked off the “Parivartan Yatra”, a six-day bus tour of the state, from Gurgaon on Tuesday. Accompanied by AICC general secretary and Haryana in-charge Ghulam Nabi Azad, Hooda held public meetings to garner support in Gurgaon, Mewat, Rewari and Mahendergarh. He attacked the ruling BJP government over “false promises”, and stressed that its “counter communal and casteist agenda” must be countered. In a free-wheeling chat, Hooda told TOI that the yatra will educate people about the BJP’s “anti-people” policies and encourage them to bring about change. Excerpts from the interview:

How do you rate the Manohar Khattar-led BJP government’s performance?

Its performance has been dismal and disappointing. It is sheer wastage of time and of Haryana’s resources. The fascinating poll promises proved false and fake.The people feel deceived and disillusioned and are eager to get rid of this insensitive government.

Why do you think the Congress is better for the state?
Haryana is a predominantly agricultural state and more than 65% of its population is dependent on agriculture and allied professions. The BJP pursues an anti-farmer policy for the benefit of a few big industrialists. Secondly, the society in Haryana is secular and believes in universal brotherhood whereas the BJP follows a communal and casteist agenda which is against the spirit of the state. The Congress, on the other hand, is a party for all sections of the society, particularly farmers and the weaker sections.

There is speculation that you could contest from Sonepat and that Congress president Rahul Gandhi could attend the yatra there

My contesting the

Lok Sabha elections

depends on the decision of the party. As far as Rahul Gandhi’s participation in the yatra is concerned, no such programme has been chalked out so far.

Who will be the chief minister of Haryana if the Congress comes to power?

As of now, all party leaders are working to ensure victory in the polls. The issue of chief ministership will be decided by the Congress legislature and the party high command.

What about factionalism? Even senior leaders have pointed out the differences within the Congress after the Jind bypoll
There are no factions. The entire party stands solidly behind its leader Rahul Gandhi. All the leaders will work together to ensure the party’s victory in the Lok Sabha elections.

Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) is the latest entrant in Haryana politics. How will this change the political equation?

JJP is a faction of the INLD. Even before the split, the INLD had lost the mass support and was facing extinction. The split is a non-event and will have no impact on the political milieu of Haryana.