‘Non-stop or full stop?’: Hooda, Haryana CM’s war of words over BJP slogan

A war of words has broken out between senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini after the former accused the BJP government of putting a “full stop” to investments, industrial development, job creation and crop prices in the state.

Hooda’s charge

Taking a dig at the BJP government’s new slogan of ‘Mahra Haryana, non-stop Haryana’ (My Haryana, non-stop Haryana), Hooda in an X post on Monday said, “If there is anything non-stop in the BJP government, it is unemployment, inflation, crime, drug addiction and migration of youth."

The BJP government has come up with the new slogan in view of the Assembly elections in the state later this year.

Full stop put on Congress’ politics: Saini

Under the slogan, the Saini government has been spelling out the initiatives launched for various sections of the society in the past decade.

Saini hit back at the former chief minister on Wednesday, saying: “Bhupinder Hoodaji, my Haryana today is non-stop Haryana."

In a post in Hindi on X, the chief minister also took a dig at the Congress regime (2005-2014) in the state led by Hooda and claimed that a full stop had now been put on goondaism, atrocities against Dalits and backward classes, auction of government jobs, taking away farmers' land and a reign of terror.

"If there has been a full stop, that is only on your politics," Saini said.

Congress’ achievements

Hooda said during the Congress era, major institutions like a health university, six medical colleges, an All India Institute of Medical Sciences and a cancer institute were built in the state, besides 641 rural hospitals and community and primary health centres.

"But as soon as the BJP came to power, it put a full stop on this work being done in the health sector and did not build any major health institution in the state," he said.

No development in education sector: Hooda

Hooda also said the Congress-led government in Haryana had built 12 government universities, a central university, 154 polytechnic colleges, 56 industrial training institutes, four engineering colleges, the Rajiv Gandhi Education City, the Babasaheb Ambedkar Law University and about 2,500 government schools.

"But as soon as the BJP came to power in 2014, it put a full stop on the expanding education system in the state," he alleged.

He said more than two lakh jobs were given in all government departments during the Congress government, "but today, more than two lakh permanent posts are lying vacant in Haryana".

Hooda said during the Congress regime, six industrial model townships were built, and big industries set up in Haryana.

"The BJP put a full stop on this industrial development of the state and industries started migrating from here," he alleged.

Saini accused the Congress of spreading lies. The chief minister said the Congress should give an account of its 10-year rule during which, he alleged, corruption and nepotism prevailed.