Former Haryana chief minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday raised the issue of Haryana’s water rights, alleging that the state was not even receiving its earlier share of water from the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), while the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue remained unresolved.
“There is no representative from Haryana in the BBMB’s irrigation department. As a result, Haryana is not even getting the share of water it used to receive earlier, let alone SYL water,” he said.
Hooda said the Haryana chief minister frequently visited Punjab but did not raise the state’s water rights there.
Similar concerns over delayed procurement and mandi facilities have been reported recently. Speaking to reporters, Hooda also alleged a nexus between the BJP and the election commission, questioning why the BJP responded whenever the Congress raised questions with the poll panel. Hooda also criticised the BJP government over inflation and the state’s debt.
He claimed Haryana’s debt has risen from around ₹ 70,000 crore in 2014 to ₹ 5.5 lakh crore under the BJP government. He also alleged that Haryana’s economic position has declined, saying the state had slipped to 14th among 18 major states. On the recent hike in the minimum support price (MSP) for rabi crops, Hooda termed the increase inadequate, saying it amounted to only 25 paise per kg against rising input costs. He alleged that the annual increase in crop prices had fallen from an average 14% during the Congress tenure to around 5% under the BJP.
Because of inadequate procurement arrangements, hooda also targeted the government over paddy and bajra procurement, alleging that farmers were being forced to sell their produce at rates up to ₹ 400 per quintal below the expected price.
He said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had “exposed this with evidence”.
