Congress' 'Parivartan Yatra' in Haryana got tremendous public response: Ghulam Nabi Azad
Faridabad: Congress general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad Sunday exuded confidence of his party winning all 10 Lok Sabha seats from Haryana, saying there was tremendous public response to its 'Parivartan Yatra'.
He claimed that people were "fed up" with the BJP governments at the Centre and in Haryana and were waiting to teach them a lesson in the polls.
Speaking here on the concluding day of the party's six-day long 'Parivartan Yatra', which had started from Gurgaon and criss-crossed the state covering all 10 LS constituencies and 60-70 out of 90 assembly segments, Azad said the party stands united and every party worker and supporter is solidly behind it.
The general secretary in-charge of Haryana also said he was sure that the Congress will stage a comeback in the state assembly as well, which are due later this year.
He called on party workers to take the message of unity to every voter in the state.
During the 'Parivartan Yatra', all the senior leaders from the state, including former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress leaders Ajay Singh Yadav, Kiran Choudhary, state Congress chief Ashok Tanwar, besides Azad, travelled together.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi too had joined this Yatra from Jagadhri in Yamunanagar to Karnal when he visited the state Friday.
On the last day, the yatra travelled through Faridabad and Palwal districts.
Azad, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said the 'Parivartan Yatra' had been successful in its mission of bringing the Congress leadership from the state together, a party release said.
"All the leaders of the state sat together in a rath (high-tech bus), they stayed together, had food together and spoke in one voice and sought votes for each other. Our opponents have been spreading a false propaganda that our party is divided into factions. We got wonderful support from the people and this can be estimated from the fact that the yatra started at 9 pm and was supposed to finish at 7 pm, but went on way past midnight," he said.
Talking about the political mood in the state, Azad said "every section of the society-- farmers, youth, women, government employees, is keen to avenge the massive misgovernance in the state through their vote".
"The BJP has served only lies to the people of the state over the last five years. The BJP had promised to implement the Swaminathan Commission report, provide two crore jobs a year, give 15 lakh to everyone after bringing back black money from abroad, but they forgot all about these issues after gaining power. All they have done in the last five years is rename all Congress schemes and take credit for our achievements," he said.
"The people of Haryana have understood the BJP's political strategy of their lies, loot and dividing the society along caste and communal lines and will not fall prey to these tricks again. On the other hand, the Congress believes in taking all sections along and social harmony is on top of our political agenda," Azad said.
Farm loans will be waived and poorest of poor will get Rs 72,000 per annum under the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) scheme when the Congress forms the next government at the Centre, he said.
Hooda said all party leaders have come together under the leadership of the Congress president and Azad, and added that the party will win all the 10 Lok seats in the state.
He claimed that the success of the 'Parivartan Yartra' has "shaken up the BJP and the INLD and the way people of the state have welcomed the Yatra is an indicator of the fact that the Congress lives in the hearts of the people of the state".
"When the Congress government was elected to office in 2005, people of Faridabad used to say that the then INLD-BJP government had turned Faridabad into Fakirabad (backward). We came to power and changed that as we restored glory to Faridabad," the former chief minister said.
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Inappropriate for MLAs seeking free IPL tickets, says D.K. Suresh
Bengaluru: Bengaluru Milk Union Ltd President D.K. Suresh on Monday said it is inappropriate for MLAs to seek free IPL tickets, adding that those interested in watching matches should pay for them personally.
Speaking to reporters near his residence in Sadashivanagar, he said, “IPL is a commercial tournament and does not represent the country. It is not right for public representatives to focus too much on such matters.”
Referring to the recent controversy during the RCB celebrations, he said, “let us find out who benefited the most from the statements made during the incident.” He also pointed out that BJP MLAs had received IPL tickets as well.
Responding to discussions about relocating the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Suresh said the government has already approved the construction of a new stadium at a location he had proposed.
“I had suggested building a stadium in Surya City and submitted a proposal for it. Bengaluru needs four stadiums in four directions to cater to its growing population and encourage youth participation in sports,” he said.
He noted that apart from Kanteerava Stadium, KSCA, and the Football Stadium, there are limited facilities in the city.
“When I was a Lok Sabha member, I had proposed allocating 100 acres in my constituency at Surya City. The land was later earmarked and the plan approved,” he added.
Suresh said he has discussed the project with Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation Chairman Shivalingegowda, and Anekal MLA Shivanna.
“The Cabinet has now approved the project, and a stadium will be developed on around 50–60 acres,” he said.
He further added that he has requested the Deputy Chief Minister to build another stadium at Shivarama Karanth Layout through the BDA, where 40 acres have been allocated. Plans are also being discussed to develop a well-equipped stadium in Bidadi.
Commending state government's recent bilingual policy move, Suresh said forcing children to learn three languages could affect their comprehension.
“It is a good decision to make two languages compulsory. Learning a third language should be left to the choice of students and parents,” he said.
Responding to criticism from BJP leaders, he said their tendency is to oppose every decision of the government.
“To please their central leadership, they take a pro-Hindi stance. Instead, they should advocate for the adoption of Kannada in all states,” he said.
When asked about the earlier three-language policy under Congress, he said, “the situation is different now. Today, the focus should be on quality learning. Kannada should remain the primary language, while students and parents can choose an additional language.”
