Chandigarh, September 2: Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda expressed his discontent on Wednesday regarding the behavior witnessed during the assembly’s monsoon session. He stated that he has never seen such misconduct throughout his political career.
Hooda addressed the media, claiming, “The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has adopted a dictatorial attitude even towards senior legislators. This will be recorded as a dark chapter in the history of the assembly. Not only were peacefully protesting legislators pushed around, but they were also not informed about the orders behind these actions.”
As the opposition leader, Hooda accused the BJP government of consistently misleading the house with falsehoods throughout the session. He remarked, “The government failed to provide clear answers to any questions from the opposition and appeared trapped in its own web of lies.”
Hooda highlighted the government’s claims regarding skill corporations and sanitation workers, presenting facts and figures to counter them. He alleged that the BJP secured votes by making false promises to skilled workers during the elections, including a commitment to regularize their jobs until retirement.
He stated, “Now, when Congress demands that the BJP fulfill its electoral promises, the Chief Minister has openly declared in the house that the skill corporation is merely an alternative arrangement, and employees under it can be dismissed at any time. The Chief Minister admitted that this is not permanent employment and offers no job security. Thus, the government has exposed its own lies before the entire state.”
Having served as Chief Minister twice, Hooda noted that the current situation for skilled workers is precarious, as they are neither fully unemployed nor regular salaried employees. He said, “They have been reduced to a status akin to daily wage laborers. These young skilled workers are compelled to endure constant exploitation.”
Hooda also criticized a minister for providing incorrect information regarding sanitation workers’ issues. He mentioned, “The minister claimed that the demands of sanitation workers cannot be met and that no policy can be formulated to regularize their services within two years. He also falsely asserted that Congress only created a policy for those employees who had completed ten years of service.”
Referencing relevant government notifications, Hooda stated that during the Congress government, two policies were established on June 16 and June 18, 2014, which allowed for the regularization of employees who had completed three years of service. He added, “These policies were upheld by both the High Court and the Supreme Court. In contrast, the BJP government has made every effort to dismiss employees appointed under these policies and prevent their regularization.”
Hooda questioned why the BJP government could not formulate a similar policy for sanitation workers if Congress could. He alleged, “This government is against the poor, Dalits, and backward classes. It does not wish to make any decisions in their favor.”
He mentioned that there is an ongoing movement of contract workers across the state. Hooda stated, “Due to the government’s disregard for sanitation workers’ demands, piles of garbage have accumulated throughout the state. During the Congress government, 11,000 rural and 14,000 urban sanitation workers were appointed, but the BJP government has yet to regularize them.”
He concluded, “We, as Congress, demand that a proposal to regularize these workers be brought to the assembly. Even in opposition, we will support it.”
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