Bhupinder Hooda said he has urged Governor not to pass the land acquisition bill to the President. (File)
Former Haryana Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday slammed the Haryana government for passing the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Haryana Amendment) Bill alleging that many of its provisions are "anti-farmer" and promoted crony capitalism.
Addressing a press conference, Mr Hooda said that the new law passed by the government disregards the landowners' consent in the process of acquisition of land and is against the farmers' welfare.
"I have requested Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya not to pass this bill to the President. If need be, we will protest against this bill," he stated.
"The lands of the farmers are being snatched from them. They are not getting a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the crops. The prices of fertilisers and pesticides have increased. This government has done nothing good for the farmers," he added.
Mr Hooda further accused the government of acting like an event management company that only announces and advertises schemes but does not implement them. "They have not fulfilled a single promise listed in their manifesto," he said.
The Congress leader also criticised the government for the paper leak of various recruitment exams in Haryana. "They have not ordered an investigation. What are they scared of? It can be only because they are themselves involved in this. There are so many vacancies in different departments in Haryana but why are they not being filled? Jobs are being sold in Haryana," he stated.
Mr Hooda further cited various reports to say that the condition of Haryana was deteriorating in terms of employment, crime and inflation. He also accused the government of not preparing for the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The former chief minister said that the government does not let the Opposition speak in the Legislative Assembly. "They allotted three minutes per person in zero hour. How is someone supposed to keep their point in mere three minutes?" he asked.
"Three days of assembly session were too less to raise so many issues. This government is a complete failure and has not fared well in any sector, be it education, sports or employment," he added.
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