Chandigarh, Jun 18 (PTI) Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said Sunday the industrial city of Panipat led Haryana's development, but the BJP-JJP government has "pushed it into the abyss of backwardness".

The time has come to oust this government and take Panipat and Haryana back on the path of progress, he told a public meeting in Panipat.

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Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan and party's Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Singh Hooda were among others present on the occasion.

Bhupinder Hooda, the Leader of Opposition in Haryana Assembly, claimed the people of the state have made up their mind to bring the Congress back to power, and they are eagerly waiting for the polls next year.

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He claimed the BJP-JJP government has pushed the industrial city Panipat, which led Haryana's development, into the abyss of backwardness.

The Congress is continuously organising public meetings as the party gets an opportunity to understand the minds of the people and get information about their demands, he said.

The Congress will prepare its manifesto and policies of the government in future basis its dialogue with the public, he said, according to a party statement.

He claimed the BJP-led government "has made Haryana number one in terms of unemployment, crime and inflation".

"While Haryana was the number one state in development during the Congress tenure, the aim of the Congress is to make Haryana the number one state of the country again," Hooda said.

"For this, all the promises like hiking pension to Rs 6,000 per month for the elderly, restoring old pension scheme (OPS) for employees, free 100 square yards plots to the poor, gas cylinders for Rs 500 each and recruitment to all 2 lakh vacant government posts will be fulfilled," he stated.

Hooda alleged that BJP-JJP has failed in every field, from health, education to agriculture.

"The government refused to give grants to the universities due to which now the universities are increasing their fees. Due to this, the children of poor and middle class families will gradually be deprived of education. The condition of the health sector is such that there are no doctors and staff in the hospitals," he pointed out.

Talking about the farmers, Hooda claimed the government doubled the input cost, instead of doubling their income.

"During the Congress tenure, everything, from the farmer's fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, to farming equipment were tax free. VAT on diesel was half than what it is under the BJP regime. Moreover, by imposing GST up to 28 percent on all agricultural items, the BJP put an additional burden of cost on the farmers," he stated.

State Congress president Bhan alleged the present state government has done nothing, except scams during its entire tenure.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)