Haryana Congress to file complaint over RS poll rig: Hooda ​

Chandigarh, March 27 (IANS) Former Haryana Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Hooda on Friday said the Congress would file a complaint with the Election Commission against the Returning Officer who allegedly rigged the just held Rajya Sabha elections by cancelling four votes of the party. ​

He demanded that the Election Commission take immediate action in this matter. ​

Hooda told the media here that the Rajya Sabha elections have once again made it clear that the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) could never go against the BJP. ​

“This time, the INLD did not vote because it knew that Congress's victory was certain. Despite the cancellation and cross-voting, Congress had 28 votes, while the BJP-backed Independent candidate received only 16 votes”. ​

The Congress lawmaker said even if the INLD had voted for an Independent, the Congress victory was certain. ​

Speaking on the shortage of LPG, petrol and diesel in the country, Hooda said that for many years the BJP government had charged double the tax on petrol and diesel compared to the Congress regime.​

“Now, the excise duty is being reduced in a manner that does not benefit the public. Instead, fuel prices are continuously rising.” ​

The two-time Chief Minister also questioned, “If the government is saying there is no shortage of LPG, then why are long queues of people everywhere?” ​

He also blamed the BJP government for the cooking gas shortage in Haryana and said the government has not yet clarified the situation. ​

Hooda said that law and order in the state has completely collapsed under the BJP government. Haryana is the most unsafe state in the entire country, as revealed by the Central Government's own Social Progress Index. ​

Referring to the Rs 590 crore scam in IDFC Bank and the Rs 160 crore scam in Panchkula Municipal Corporation, he asked, “It is still not known under whose signature the scam took place and who is responsible.” ​

He demanded that a thorough investigation be conducted, that the names of the culprits be revealed, and that strict action be taken against them.

Raising the issue of the scam worth thousands of crores in paddy procurement, Hooda said people in high positions are involved, but the government is deliberately trying to implicate lower-level employees, while the real culprits are being protected. ​

--IANS

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