The Hindu : Other States / Haryana News : Wage jehad against corrupt leaders: Hooda

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 10, 2004

Other States

Other States - Haryana

Wage jehad against corrupt leaders: Hooda

By Rajesh Ahuja

GOHANA, DEC.9. The senior Congress leader and sitting Member of Parliament from Rohtak, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, today asserted that his ongoing struggle against corruption in Haryana politics would continue even after the ouster of the present Om Prakash Chautala regime in the ensuing Vidhan Sabha elections in the State and till the installation of an "honest'' Chief Minister.

Speaking at a rally here to celebrate the birthday of the party supremo, Sonia Gandhi, Mr. Hooda, who was projected as the next Chief Minister of the State by virtually all the speakers, appealed to all honest people in the State to unite and wage a "jehad'' against "corrupt and dishonest'' leaders. He asked, "When corrupt politicians could shake hands, why could not honest people unite against such individuals?"

He recalled that he had held his first rally here in Gohana after becoming the Pradesh Congress president about eight years ago and he had taken a vow then to wage a relentless battle against the corrupt people. "I am still waging this war without bending even an inch'', he asserted amid thunderous applause.

According to political observers, Mr.Hooda, who did not say anything directly about his Chief Ministerial aspirations, launched an indirect attack against his political arch-rivals in the Congress party without naming any leader. Significantly, while criticising Mr.Chautala for his attempts to derive political mileage by projecting himself as an admirer of the late legendary Sir Chottu Ram, he also indirectly criticised a Congress leader who was projecting himself as the "heir'' of the farmer leader. He made it clear that the true heir of Sir Chottu Ram could only be that person who strived to follow the path set by him and sincerely ascribed to his ideology.

Mr.Hooda sharply flayed the present INLD regime and accused it of following anti-farmer, anti-worker and anti-people policies. While referring to the Kandela incident in which activists of the Bharatiya Kisan Union were killed in police firing, he charged that the Chautala Government was openly indulging in acts of corruption. He underlined that the Congress would not only come to power in the State but also change the entire administrative set-up to ensure honesty and transparency in public dealing.

While eulogising Mrs.Sonia Gandhi for her supreme act of sacrifice in not taking up the Prime Minister's post despite pressure from the party MPs, he said that she appointed the most clean and honest person in the country---Manmohan Singh--- as Prime Minister even though there were several aspirants for the post. He also recalled that after the assassination of the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, Mrs.Gandhi had remained at home for seven years. It was after much persuasion that she agreed to take command of the Congress when it was not only floundering but also disintegrating. All credit went to her for reversing the tide, he said. The AICC Secretary, Shakeel Ansari, said that he would certainly convey the feelings of the workers regarding Mr.Hooda to the party High Command.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States

News Update

Stories in this Section

Wage jehad against corrupt leaders: Hooda