In a scathing attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Leader of Opposition in Haryana and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday leveled serious allegations of creating fake ration cards to influence voters and systematically sidelining the state's youth in government recruitments. Addressing a press conference at his Rohtak residence, Hooda presented data to back his claims while also extending New Year wishes to the people.
Allegations of Mass Fake Ration Cards
Hooda alleged that the BJP government artificially inflated the number of ration card holders in Haryana to garner votes during elections. He presented startling figures, stating that the number of ration cards, which was 11,09,865 in 2020-21, skyrocketed to 26,40,475 in 2022-23 and further to a massive 51,96,380 in 2024. Similarly, he claimed the number of beneficiaries jumped from 52,40,111 to over 2.13 crore.
"This means that the BJP declared 80% of Haryana's population as Below Poverty Line (BPL), which is a blatant misrepresentation of facts," Hooda asserted. He accused the party of using this tactic to win elections.
However, the former CM highlighted a stark reversal post-elections. "After the polls, 41 lakh ration cards were cancelled across the country, with the highest number of cancellations—13,43,474—in Haryana," he said. This move, according to Hooda, stopped ration supplies for over 70 lakh people, proving the BJP "clearly cheated the public to get votes."
He extended a similar charge regarding women's welfare, alleging the BJP promised Rs 2,100 per month to all 85 lakh women in Haryana but is now limiting the scheme to only 5 lakh women.
"Deliberate Injustice" to Haryana Youth in Jobs
Shifting focus to employment, Hooda accused the state government of deliberately excluding local youth from recruitment processes. He provided a breakdown of several recent recruitments to substantiate his claim:
- In Haryana Power Utilities Assistant Engineer recruitment, only 29 out of 214 selected candidates in the general category were from Haryana.
- For HPSC English Assistant Professor posts, selection of Haryana youth was less than 8%.
- In Assistant Professor Political Science recruitment, 11 out of 18 selected were from outside the state.
- For SDO electrical posts, the government initially appointed 78 out of 80 candidates from outside Haryana. In a subsequent recruitment, 77 out of 99 positions went to outsiders.
- In Lecturer Group-B Technical Education recruitment, 103 out of 157 positions were filled by outsiders.
He added that similar patterns were observed in HCS, DHO, and BDPO recruitments. Hooda also alleged that positions are deliberately kept vacant in HPSC recruitments, citing that only 151 candidates were called for interviews for 613 posts of English Assistant Professor. "This is a blatant attack on the rights of the youth of Haryana," he stated.
Criticism on MSP, Law & Order, and Economy
On farmers' issues, Hooda dismissed the government's claims of providing Minimum Support Price (MSP) for 24 crops. He stated that in reality, MSP is not being given for any crop. He gave examples: paddy with a government rate of Rs 2,389 per quintal was bought from farmers at Rs 1,500-2,000, and bajra was sold at Rs 1,850-1,900 against the MSP of Rs 2,250. Crops like moong and cotton were also not sold at MSP, he claimed.
Expressing deep anger over the recent gang-rape incident in Faridabad, Hooda called it shameful and condemnable. "This proves that there is virtually no law and order in Haryana," he said, citing the Central Government's Social Progress Index which ranks Haryana as the most unsafe state.
On the economic front, Hooda pointed to the state's precarious fiscal health. He noted that in NITI Aayog's Fiscal Health Index, Haryana ranks 14th among 18 states. The state's Debt-to-GSDP ratio has crossed 31%, with total debt exceeding Rs 5 lakh crore, trapping Haryana in a debt cycle. He accused the government of being merely an "event management" administration focused on propaganda rather than attracting real investment.
