New Delhi: With the Haryana elections fast approaching, parties have begun their campaigns. Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav recently toured 13 of the state’s 22 districts as part of the nine-day Jan Sarokar Abhiyan programme, during which he said it was evident that the BJP government in the state has failed to deliver on most promises made in its manifesto.In an interview to The Wire, the activist-psephologist-politician spoke about the various problems Haryana faces, the BJP’s apparent failure to deliver on promises and the failure of the opposition to challenge the ruling party.Despite the BJP not delivering on promises it had made, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar is hopeful of improving the party’s tally from 47 in 2014 to more than 75 this time. This, Yadav said, is because of a ‘divided, tired and lost’ opposition.Edited excerpts from the interview follow.Yadav also refuted claims made by Khattar that his government has been “honest”. “There is a claim that the CM does not take money. I subscribe to it. But remember the same was said about (former prime minister) Manmohan Singh and it was true. However, the UPA government was corrupt, similarly, the BJP government under Khattar is also corrupt. Even BJP’s workers admit this,” he said.The politician also questioned the lack of progress in cases filed against top political leaders and businesses accused of corruption. Without naming IAS officer Ashok Khemka or Indian Forest Service officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi, he further asked, “Why is it that honest officers who were victimised by the Congress have also been victimised by the BJP?”He said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) proceeding against former chief minister Bhupinder Hooda and Robert Vadra being questioned were “part of an election stunt” to “scare the opposition”. Yadav said, “There has been a three-four year delay in the process. Convictions cannot happen soon.”‘Corruption in stone mining is rampant’The biggest corruption in the state, he said, is related to the mining of stones and that it has continued under Khattar. “From Narnaul to Bhiwani, the entire stretch of Aravali up to Mewat is witnessing illegal mining. The NGT recently ordered the closure of 72 crushers in Mahendragarh because all were issued licences illegally.”He said after benefitting from politicising the Balakot airstrike for the Lok Sabha elections, Khattar is now using the dilution of Article 370 to rile up nationalist sentiments. The activist said though the people in Haryana and elsewhere in the country agree with the government’s move to dilute Article 370, he personally does not agree with it. “It is not a very wise decision and the country will have to pay a very heavy price for it in the long term,” he said.Also Read: In Election-Bound Haryana, BJP Finds Ready Poll Plank in Article 370 DecisionThe question, he said, is if is an election issue for the people of Haryana.Rising debt and more crimes against womenIn 2014, the BJP attacked the Congress for the state’s debt, which stood at Rs 76,000 crore (per capita burden of Rs 28,000). However, over the past five years, the debt increased to Rs 179,000 crore (Rs 63,000 per every person), the Swaraj India leader claimed.Crimes against women have also risen sharply, he said. In 2014, he said there were 961 cases of rape registered, which has now increased to 1,431. “How will this change when the entire Khattar cabinet went to Sirsa following the swearing in to pay obeisance to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim, who had several cases of rape, murder and abduction pending against him then,” he asked. “Even after the godman’s conviction, the government tried to provide relief to him.”The government was also responsible for the breakdown in the law and order situation at least thrice Yadav said, recounting the 2014 violence by followers of Baba Rampal in Hisar, the Jat agitation in Rohtak and the Panchkula violence by followers of Ram Rahim.Riots following Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s conviction. Photo: PTI‘Farm loan waiver an eyewash’The Khattar government’s announcement earlier this month of a loan waiver worth Rs 4,750 crore is an eyewash the Swaraj India leader said. Only the interest and penalty would be waived, that too if the loan has been taken from a cooperative bank, Yadav said. “Farmers are required to pay the outstanding amount within three months. But if they had that kind of money, why would they have defaulted in the first place?” he questioned.Yadav accused the government of failing to follow through on its promises. “Last year, in the assembly, they promised to procure the entire bajra crop. The data has come: only 29% was procured,” he said.Watch: Haryana’s BJP President Says Will Return To Power With Greater Majority This TimeAgriculture minister O.P. Dhankar, who demanded the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations when part of the opposition, has now “gone silent” on the issue, the Swaraj India leader said. “Minimum support prices are not being paid for rice, wheat, bajra, jowar and mustard,” he said.Yadav also spoke large parts of the state becoming dry and parched. “The problem is acute in the western and southern parts of the state such as Adampur, Sirsa, Bhiwani, Mahendragarh, Narnaul and Mewat. Farmers are protesting but the government hasn’t done anything,” the former Aam Aadmi Party member said.Stray cattle and marginalisation of MuslimsThe politician also said raised doubts about Khattar’s promise that the three districts in the state have already been made free of stray cattle. The government has said other districts would also be made free of stray cattle. Yadav said, “I have travelled to all districts and people are fed up with stray cattle. There have also been many cases of lynching in Mewat, which is adjacent to Alwar in Rajasthan.”“They (BJP) don’t love cows, they only love their photos. They don’t want to save cows, they want to target Muslims in the name of the cow,” he commented.The psephologist also spoke about the need to revamp the police force and improve the law and order situation. “It is an inefficient government, the problem is that the opposition is also unable to hold them to account,” he said.Expanding on the opposition’s shortcomings, he said, “There is a political vacuum in the state. In all parties, there is a race to defect to the BJP. What used to happen with the Congress earlier is happening with the BJP now. Local leaders are proclaiming their allegiance to the saffron party.”Manohar Lal Khattar. Credit: PTI/Files`Swaraj India sowing seeds of clean politics’The Congress or the INLD do not have the “courage” to stop the BJP’s march, but Swaraj India can, Yadav said. By raising important issues in the state such as illegal stone crushers, increase in sexual harassment and agrarian issues, the party can unite people.Also Read: Swaraj India Makes Unemployment in Haryana a Major Poll Issue“We are the only party which will give a third of our seats to women and another third to youth,” he said.He said Swaraj India will also not participate in “caste politics” by pitting non-Jats against Jats. “We do not want this kind of a fight. We will bring all 36 communities in the state together. We will not divide people in Hindus and Muslims. We will speak against liquor licences being given in abundance. We are also opposing parole to Ram Rahim,” he said.
