Former Haryana chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda has hit back at the BJP’s charge that the grand old party is planning to end reservations in the country, and said it is the saffron party that wanted to win 400 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to change the constitution and thereby end reservations.
In an interview to The Wire ahead of the Haryana assembly elections, where Hooda is fighting from his stronghold of the Garhi Sampla-Kiloi constituency, the former two-term chief minister said: “Who was talking about changing the constitution? BJP leaders said ‘give us 400 seats [in the Lok Sabha elections] so the constitution can be changed’. Changing the constitution means removing reservations”.
BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi have alleged on the Haryana election campaign trail that if the Congress is voted to power, it will end reservations.
The BJP’s attack follows Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in the US earlier this month, where he stated, “We will think of scrapping reservation when India is a fair place, and India is not a fair place.”
Referring to his father, Ranbir Singh Hooda, a freedom fighter who was also a member of the constituent assembly, Hooda said how the Congress could oppose reservations when it was the party that had provided them in the first place.
“The founders of the constitution gave us reservations, and I am proud that along with Babasaheb Ambedkar, my late father [Ranbir Singh Hooda]’s signature is also there. How can we speak of removing reservations? The Congress is the one that has provided reservations,” the former chief minister said.
While the Congress has not announced a chief ministerial candidate, Hooda, who is seen as the frontrunner, accused the BJP of producing a “copy-paste” manifesto and said that the people’s mandate including all of Haryana’s “36 biradri” (communities) were with the Congress.
Hooda also denied the existence of a rift within the Haryana Congress and asked the BJP to focus on keeping its “own house in order” after Sirsa MP and prominent Congress Dalit face Kumari Selja’s notable absence on the campaign trail following the distribution of tickets, over which Hooda is believed to have held sway.
The BJP’s senior functionaries had also invited Selja to join their party and accused the Congress of “disrespecting” her and being “anti-Dalit”.
Read the full interview below, which has been lightly edited for language and brevity.
In comparison to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when the Congress did not win a single seat in Haryana, in 2024 the Congress bettered its tally and held the BJP to 5-5 in the state. After this performance, what are your expectations from the 2024 assembly elections?
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had a lead in 79 seats, while the Congress led in ten seats and the JJP [Jannayak Janta Party] in one. But when the assembly elections came, the Congress improved its tally from ten to 31. And the BJP came down to 40 from 79.
Now the indications are that, while we have won five seats in the Lok Sabha, our vote share has increased in all parliamentary seats and the BJP’s has come down. Their vote share has come down in all 90 assembly constituencies, while ours has increased.
In 2019, our vote share was 28%, but this year our vote share is nearly 48%. The BJP’s vote share on the other hand has come down by about 12-13%. These are indications that we are getting the people’s mandate. Jansamarthan hai, 36 biradri mann bana chuki hai, abki bar Congress ki sarkar. [We have the people’s mandate and all 36 communities have made up their mind that this time, there will be a Congress government].
The Congress has announced seven guarantees in its manifesto, while the BJP has announced 20. There are several similarities; for instance, while you have announced financial assistance of Rs 2,000 to women, they have announced Rs 2,100. Both have promised LPG cylinders at Rs 500. If the promises are similar, can this lead to confusion in voters’ minds about whom to choose between the Congress and the BJP?
There is no confusion. It is about trust, which they have lost. They have done a copy-paste job of our manifesto. They have been in government for the last ten years. Why didn’t they do it then? We were already giving LPG cylinders at Rs 500 in Rajasthan.
During the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress crafted its campaign around unemployment and the Agnipath scheme in Haryana. The BJP has sought to course-correct on these grounds, and now announced in its manifesto that they will guarantee government employment for Agniveers and provide minimum support prices (MSP) on 24 crops. Do you think this course correction by the BJP will affect the Congress’s chances?
People are being misled by these guarantees. They are talking about providing MSP on 24 crops, but MSP is not even being provided for paddy. Of the 24 crops [on which they have promised to provide MSP], there are several that are not even grown in Haryana. Such false promises don’t win you votes.
People have seen in the last ten years how there is unemployment. In 2014, when we demitted office, Haryana was number 1 in per capita income, law and order, employment and sports. Now Haryana is number 1 in unemployment. These are not my figures. The figures provided by the CMIE [Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy] and the Planning Commission prove this.
Law and order has completely collapsed. The Union government’s Social Progress Index has called Haryana unsafe. Our women wrestlers, who have brought fame to India globally, still have not been given justice.
Since you have spoken about women wrestlers, the Congress has given a ticket to Vinesh Phogat. Was this your decision?
No, both Bajrang Punia and Vinesh met Rahul Gandhi. When she had all but secured the silver medal and was going to compete for the gold, I believe that she did not receive proper guidance. It was under a conspiracy that she could not get her gold medal.
At that time, when I saw her statement and her disappointment, I even said to the BJP that she was disappointed and should be nominated to the Rajya Sabha. We don’t have the required MLAs, otherwise we would have nominated her. I said to the BJP that she should be nominated to the Rajya Sabha so her hurt feelings could be healed. But they did not [do so].
Later, they [Phogat and Punia] met Rahul Gandhi, and one of them was to be given a ticket. So we gave a ticket to Vinesh. The belief was that Haryana’s population is 2% in the country but in the Commonwealth Games, of the 38 medals, 22 are from Haryana; in the Olympics, out of the six medals, four are from Haryana – we wanted her to inspire other athletes.
The ticket to Vinesh was with the belief that if there is any injustice done to any athlete, Haryana is standing with them.
About 70% of Haryana’s population is engaged in farming. Farmers from Haryana have been protesting for a long time demanding MSP on all crops. You have promised to provide a legal guarantee for MSP, but how will you persuade farmers that you will implement this?
They have faith in us. We will bring a legal guarantee for MSP in Haryana. Rahul Gandhi has already been raising this at the central level. We will put in all efforts to provide MSP on the basis of the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission.
Rahul Gandhi is also raising the issue of the caste census at the central level. But Prime Minister Modi while campaigning in Haryana has alleged that the Congress has hatred towards reservation in its DNA and if it comes to power, it will end reservations. How do you respond?
Who was talking about changing the constitution? BJP leaders said ‘give us 400 seats [in the Lok Sabha elections] so the constitution can be changed’. Changing the constitution means removing reservations. The founders of the constitution gave us reservations, and I am proud that along with Babasaheb Ambedkar, my late father’s signature is there. How can we speak of removing reservations? The Congress is the one that has provided reservations.
Modi has also alleged in his speech that if the Congress comes to power, Haryana will be ruined due to corruption. He alleged that under the Congress, jobs would only be provided with “kharchi–parchi [bribes]”. How do you respond?
Ulta chor kotwal ko dante [this is like the pot calling the kettle black]. The chairman of the subordinate service commission was suspended for corruption. There has been corruption in the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam. Moreover, in the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam, there are no reservations, not even secured jobs. Those who have been left behind, i.e among SC/ST/OBC, have been left further behind. This clearly shows that if anyone is stopping reservations, it is the BJP.
The BJP has also raised questions about the Congress being a divided house. BJP leaders have said that Dalit leader Kumari Selja was insulted by the party. She is campaigning again, but she was missing in action in recent weeks, which has further fuelled speculation of the Congress being a divided house. How do you respond?
They should look after their own house. Has anyone given any statement that she has been insulted? They should keep their own house in order. They did not give a ticket to veteran leader Ram Bilas Sharma. Look at the statements by [Manohar Lal] Khattar, [chief minister Nayab Singh] Saini and Anil Vij. It is the BJP whose house is divided.
So the Congress is not divided in Haryana?
No, there is no question.
Kumari Selja had earlier expressed her desire to be chief minister. Another MP, Randeep Singh Surjewala, has also said that he, Selja and you all want to be chief minister. Will this create problems in the party?
This is not a problem at all. This shows how strong our party is. If you are in politics and don’t express your desires, then you will stagnate. There can be as many ten to twenty chief minister aspirants. This is a democracy.
There are posters everywhere saying “abki baar Hooda sarkar”. So is this an announcement of sorts that you are indeed the chief ministerial face?
No, that has been done by workers to express their desires. But the party’s procedure is that after elections, the MLAs’ opinions will be taken, the high command will send observers and then the high command will take a decision on who to make chief minister, and everyone will accept them.
So that means you are ready to be chief minister for a third time?
I will go by the party’s decision.
