Chandigarh
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday said that the opposition has been left unsettled after being decisively rejected by the people. Having lost public confidence and political credibility, opposition leaders are now resorting to allegations like “vote theft” out of sheer frustration, he added.
The Chief Minister asserted that the mandate of the people is clear and decisive, and it reflects total rejection of the Congress’s policies and past governance. This rejection, he said, has left the opposition frustrated, prompting them to make irresponsible and unfounded statements.
The Chief Minister was responding during Question Hour on the second day of the Winter Session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha on Friday to a question raised by MLA BB Batra regarding the number of BPL cards.
Saini said that he had already given a detailed reply on this matter in the House during the previous session. He explained that the government introduced a transparent process under which people were asked to self-declare their economic status and fill out the forms themselves if they fell below the poverty line. He pointed out that under earlier governments, the income limit was Rs. 1.20 lakh, whereas the present government increased it to Rs. 1.80 lakh, after which people applied for BPL status.
The Chief Minister recalled that he had clearly informed the House at that time that verification would be carried out after the elections and that ineligible names would be removed. Questioning the opposition’s allegations, he asked how this could be termed a “scandal.”
Referring to the figures quoted by MLA BB Batra, the Chief Minister, said that the claim of eight lakh cards was misleading, as the number of ration cards in 2022 exceeded 30 lakh. He questioned the source of such data and, in a sharp remark, he said that during the Congress regime, even eligible beneficiaries were deprived of essential supplies, while others wrongfully availed benefits meant for the poor.
Taking a strong dig at the opposition, the Chief Minister said it was ironic that they were accusing others of vote theft. Voting, he emphasized, is a democratic right of the people, and through their mandate, the public has unequivocally rejected Congress and its policies.
