Gurugram :
Having become the centre of media attention, Surender Sharma, complainant in the recent FIR against former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra, has gone into hiding.

A day after Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar lauded him for raising his voice against corruption without any vested interest, Sharma was nowhere to be found in his village, Rathiwas in Tawdu.

“He went out two days ago and has not returned. I do not know anything about the complaint. My son is an honest man who cannot stand corruption,” said his father Sohan Lal, former sarpanch of the village.

When contacted over phone, Sharma said, “I have no connection with the land in question and was never directly affected by the deal. Being a social activist, I could not take this corruption. When no action was taken even after the Dhingra report, I decided to go ahead and do my duty as a citizen. I am not scared, but do not want unnecessary sensation or media glare. Please do not call me up again.”

A pharmacy store owner and social activist, Sharma hit the headlines when following his complaint, an FIR was registered against Hooda and Vadra in connection with the decade-old Shikohpur village land deal between Vadra’s company and real estate firm DLF.

The case was registered at the Kherki Daula police station on Saturday. The DLF and Onkareshwar Properties were also named in the FIR.

Congress leader and former minister Aftab Ahmed termed the FIR as a conspiracy, claiming that the complaint had been filed at the behest of the BJP government as part of political vendetta.

“The affiliation of the complainant with the BJP is well known in Mewat. The complaint was filed at the behest of the BJP government to malign our image. Truth will prevail soon and Khattar should abstain from seeking cheap publicity,” he said.

Inspects rejuvenation work of Jawahar Lal Nehru canal in Jhajjar

Jhajjar :
The state government is committed to ensuring canal water to tail-end villages in south Haryana. Hence, a project worth Rs 143 crore is being executed to rejuvenate the Jawahar Lal Nehru (JLN) canal which is considered the lifeline of the region. The Masani barrage in Rewari district is also being filled for the past two years.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said this while interacting with mediapersons after inspecting the ongoing rejuvenation work of the JLN Feeder in Salhavaas town in the district.

He also inaugurated the Neer-Swaran Jayanti Rest House located in Jhajjar and felicitated 102-year-old Kanwar Singh of Ridhau village (Sonepat) who had done digging work of the JLN Feeder in 1939 at the remuneration of merely 6 paisa per day.

“No doubt, there is a shortage of water in Haryana, but ponds and reservoirs can be filled with rain water and used during crisis if the available water is managed properly. Six states, including Haryana, have recently signed a joint consent letter pertaining to Lakhwar Dam in order to resolve the issue of water shortage,” said Khattar, adding that the dam would be readied within two years and the state would have a share of 47 per cent.

Talking about the JLN feeder, the CM said it was for the first time after its construction in 1977 that a provision for spending Rs 143 crore for its rejuvenation had been made.

Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankar was also present on the occasion.

Stopped by cops 10 km from programme venue

Jhajjar :
Due to prompt action by the district police, supporters of the Akhil Bhartiya Jat Aarkshan Sangharsh Samiti (ABJASS) chief Yashpal Malik could not execute their plan of showing black flags to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar during his visit to Salhavaas village here.

A group of office-bearers and members of the ABJASS, led by its district president Jitender Babla, had left for Salhavass village from Jhajjar on Sunday morning, but the police waylaid them and did not let them move ahead from Matanhel village, which is nearly 10 km from Salhavaas village.

As a result, the supporters of the ABJASS organised a protest demonstration there and came back to Jhajjar. Some of the protesters were wearing black clothes. Adequate number of police personnel were deputed on the roads leading to Salhavaas so that no protester could reach even near the CM’s programme venue. Most of the protesters were those arrested by the police on Saturday morning when they were about to leave for Umra village (Hisar) to protest against Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu. They were released late on Saturday night.

 “The police illegally kept us in custody for around 15 hours yesterday, whereas organising a peaceful protest is the constitutional right of every citizen in democracy. The police action was an attack on our democratic right,” said Babla, adding that they would continue their protest until the state government fulfils their long-pending demands, including withdrawal of cases against Jats in connection with the February 2016 violence and arson.

Notably, the ABJASS has announced opposing the entry of Khattar and Capt Abhimanyu in nine districts, including Jhajjar, for not accepting their demands.

Jhajjar SP Pankaj Nain said the protesters were waylaid near Matanhel village here as they could have posed a threat to law and order in the district.

Ambala :
Rohtak MP and Congress leader Deepender Hooda on Sunday lashed out at the state government. He claimed that the BJP government had made a promise to bring pay-parity with Punjab in their election manifesto but like the other 154 promises made by the BJP, this one too has been forgotten by the ruling party.

Addressing party workers in Ladwa (Kurukshetra), Deepender alleged, “The BJP was elected on the basis of promises made to the people. After they took office, they have forgotten about their promises and are completely focused on destroying the social fabric of the state for political gains. The people of Haryana understand the games the BJP is playing and every segment is disappointed with the BJP. The INLD is supposedly the main Opposition party in the state but they are behaving as associates of the ruling party. That has pushed them out of the political equation.”

He invited the workers to participate in the sixth phase of the Jan Kranti Yatra of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, which is to start from Kurukshetra on September 9.

Deepender said, “Based on the feedback we have got from all rounds of Jan Kranti Yatra, I can say for sure that the Congress is on a comeback and we will form the next government in the state. The people of the state have been hit hard by the misgovernance of the BJP.”

Deepender claimed that former Chief Minister has started the yatra to pull people out of their despair so that Haryana regains its position as the number one state in the country.

“Our unity and social harmony are our biggest strengths and I appeal to all sections to defeat divisive forces by staying united and maintain social harmony. Wait for the Congress to return in government. All sections of their society will be given justice and our women will be able to go to work even at midnight,” he said.

Promises jobs to member of every family, Rs 5,000 old-age pension

Panipat :
Kurukshetra MP and BJP rebel Raj Kumar Saini on Sunday launched his Loktantra Suraksha Party at a rally here.

Saini announced to give employment to a member of every family, Rs 5,000 pension to elderly persons and to bring SYL canal waters for south Haryana within a year if voted to power.

 Along with hundreds of supporters from across the state, Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav also attended the rally.

While addressing his supporters, Saini said that he was fighting for the rights of the Backward Class people for the last four years under the banner of the Loktantra Suraksha Manch in the state.

“Now, the manch has been registered as a political party and we will now fight politically for their rights,” he said.

“We have vowed to remove caste-based discrimination and will ensure 100 per cent reservation to all castes as per their share in population,” he said.

To provide employment in the rural areas, the working days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act would be increased to 300 days in a year, he said.

Saini said they would adopt two-child policy as it would be imperative to control its population for development of any country.

He said the Congress had formed the government 12 times in 52 years in the state by using votes of the Backward Class, but neglected them totally. “Due to their apathy, only 12 per cent Backward Class people are in jobs, while a community with less than 10 per cent population has been enjoying 55 per cent share in the government jobs,” he claimed.

Flaying the INLD, he said family members of former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala were giving statements on corruption. He said, “50 per cent members of Chautala’s family are in jail on corruption charges and remaining members are in a queue to go behind bars in disproportionate assets case.”

Accusing former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda indirectly of violence during the Jat agitation for reservation in 2016, Saini said that it was proved that who was behind the violence. He said that the state was burnt only to avenge losing of power.

Attacking the ruling BJP, Saini said no MLA or MP had raised his or her voice against the burning of houses, shops and business establishments, rapes and deaths due to road blockades and now the BJP was assuring them the benefits of reservation.