Bhupinder Singh Hooda attends Congress district presidents’ training camp in Kurukshetra; targets BJP on governance failures

Former Haryana chief minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda arrived in Kurukshetra on Saturday to attend and address the ongoing Congress training camp for district presidents, where he also stayed overnight.

During the session, Hooda issued clear instructions to party leaders and urged them to remain fully prepared for the upcoming political battle.Addressing the gathering, Hooda asked district presidents to take key public issues to the grassroots, including unemployment, organised crime, drug abuse, migration, neglect of farmers, and the continued marginalisation of the poor and SC-OBC communities. He alleged that the BJP government has failed to fulfil a single promise made to the people of Haryana and has delivered neither development nor good governance.Hooda accused the BJP of being focused only on scams and weakening Haryana’s interests. He said jobs meant for Haryana’s youth have been handed over to outsiders, while institutions and infrastructure created during the Congress regime are being systematically dismantled. He claimed that in the last 11 years, the BJP has failed to establish any new medical college, major industry, university, railway or metro line, IIT, or attract significant investment.

Despite this, Haryana’s debt has reportedly surged from Rs 60,000 crore accumulated between 1966 and 2014 to over Rs 5 lakh crore in just 11 years.Later, addressing a press conference, Hooda said the BJP had promised to double farmers’ income by 2022 but instead increased their input costs. He also accused the government of misleading women in the name of welfare schemes. He said the BJP promised Rs 2,100 per month to all women during elections but is now limiting the benefit to a small section.Hooda stated that in 2024–25, around 2.13 crore people in Haryana fell under the BPL category, implying nearly 85 lakh women should be eligible for the scheme. However, the government is now proposing to extend benefits to only about 8 lakh women, with a reduced amount of Rs 1,100, of which Rs 1,000 would be credited. He alleged that conditions related to income, children’s education, and nutrition were deliberately imposed to exclude most women.

He cited the issuance of ration cards to nearly one crore people before elections and the subsequent cancellation of about 70 lakh BPL cards as evidence of this policy.Criticising changes in MGNREGA, Hooda said the BJP has undermined the rights of Dalits, backward classes, villagers, and panchayats. He noted that although over eight lakh workers are registered under MGNREGA in Haryana, only 2,100 families received 100 days of work in 2024–25, and unemployment compensation was not paid as mandated.Hooda also expressed concern over rising organised crime, claiming over 80 gangs are active in the state and citing the Social Progress Index, which he said ranks Haryana as the most unsafe state. Responding to media queries, he condemned alleged attempts to intimidate the Punjab Kesari group, stressing that a free media is essential to democracy. He added that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address party officials at the training camp on January 21.