A day after two unidentified bike-borne assailants opened fire at the office of Congress MLA Balram Dangi in Meham, former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda visited Dangi’s office on Sunday and termed the incident deeply concerning.
Hooda said the Dangi family symbolises struggle and resilience in the region and that there should be no compromise on their security. He urged the Haryana Government to immediately provide special security cover to the family and ensure strict action against those responsible for the attack.
“Firing at the Congress office in Meham is clear evidence of the state’s crumbling law and order situation. Incidents such as firing, extortion, robbery, dacoity, murder, and rape have become so common place that they are now part of the daily lives of the people of Haryana. Organised crime has escalated to such an extent that 50 to 60 gangs are currently active in the state; they not only carry out crimes but also openly claim responsibility,” said Hooda while interacting with media on the occasion.
He maintained that it seemed that the criminals have absolutely no fear of the law. This is precisely why Haryana has been declared the most unsafe state in the country in the Social Progress Index released by the central government. Everyone, from traders, businessmen, employees, and officials to politicians, feels unsafe today, he added.
Targeting Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, the Congress leader said, “The CM is spending his time in Punjab and the government no longer has any focus on Haryana. That is why I call this a ‘non-performing government.’ We had made the state number one in terms of development. According to central government reports, Haryana has slipped to the 14 position. Haryana is currently in a dire state regarding unemployment, healthcare, education, sports infrastructure, and law and order.”
Hooda remarked that gangsters are currently running their operations from jails in Gujarat or elsewhere. “A similar atmosphere prevailed in Haryana before the Congress government took office in 2005, when criminals used to run gangs from within the prisons. However, after the Congress government took office, all gangs and organized crime were completely eradicated from the state. Not a single gang was active in Haryana during the Congress government’s tenure, as the administration maintained a clear policy regarding criminals- either give up crime or leave Haryana,” he said.
Speaking on the issue of the SIR, the former CM mentioned that the Congress party is continuously holding meetings with its workers and providing them with appropriate guidelines. Instructions have been issued to all workers and leaders to keep a close watch on this process. “We will ensure that no valid votes are deleted and no bogus votes are added,” he maintained.
