India News | Will Take Up People's Issues; Serve as 'bridge' Between Party, Govt: Haryana BJP Chief Dhankar
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Underlining his priorities as the new Haryana BJP chief, O P Dhankar on Monday said he will serve as a conduit between his party and the state government besides taking up people's issues.
Chandigarh, Jul 20 (PTI) Underlining his priorities as the new Haryana BJP chief, O P Dhankar on Monday said he will serve as a conduit between his party and the state government besides taking up people's issues.
“I always believe in working with the spirit of giving my best and taking the best from our workers, which is the way forward to further strengthen my party,” said Dhankar.
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He said he will try to act as a “bridge” between the party and the government.
“I will strive to have a better coordination between my party and the government. Taking the government's policies and achievements to people and pursuing any issues faced by the public before the government will be among my priorities,” Dhankar told PTI here.
He said the entire country and the rest of the world are facing a great challenge posed by the coronavirus pandemic and during this time, the BJP and its workers have been providing succour to the needy.
“For us, social welfare is paramount,” he said.
Dhankar (58), a former MLA from Badli, was a minister for agriculture and farmers' welfare in the previous Manohar Lal Khattar cabinet.
He was appointed appointed as the president of the state BJP on Sunday, replacing Subhash Barala.
Dhankar in the past has held several key positions in the party at the national and state-level in the party. He had served as the national secretary of the party and earlier remained joint in-charge of the party affairs in Himachal Pradesh.
By appointing Dhankar, the BJP has continued with a Jat face to lead the party in Haryana. Jats are the most dominant community in the state.
However, Dhankar asserted that the BJP was not a party representing any particular caste or community, but all sections of society.
“Many people try to play caste card here by saying that they belong to this caste, that caste. The BJP is party of all sections--Dalits, backwards, farmers, traders, labourers. It represents all sections,” he said.
On the Baroda assembly bypolls, Dhankar said he had recently visited the constituency and the feedback he got was clearly for a change as people are keen on having a legislator from the present dispensation.
The Baroda assembly seat in Sonipat district fell vacant after the demise of sitting Congress legislator and senior leader Shri Krishan Hooda in April.
“People realised that legislators from the opposition camp have represented the constituency for a long time, but have been unable to resolve some basic issues pertaining to drinking water, power and roads. Now, people want to give us a chance,” he claimed.
Rejecting the Congress claim that they will win the Baroda assembly bypolls, dates for which have not been yet announced by the Election Commission, Dhankar said, “People are also watching what is happening in the Congress camp.
“They have seen recent developments in Rajasthan where a power struggle broke out between the chief minister and his deputy," he said.
“The opposition at the national level is facing a leadership crisis. There has to be a trust towards your leader and when that thing is missing, things start to disintegrate and the Congress is going through that phase,” Dhankar claimed.
With BJP forming government in Haryana in alliance with JJP this time, Dhankar said there is mutual respect among workers of both outfits.
The BJP chief said he will strive to ensure that there is full coordination with the JJP.
“I was my party's state general secretary when we were an alliance partner in the Bansi Lal government (in mid 1990s). Later, I was party secretary at the national-level when we had formed a government in alliance with the INLD. So, I have enough training for this,” he said on a lighter note.
Dhankar said he enjoys very good relations with Chief Minister M L Khattar, with whom he shares a long experience of working together in the organisation.
(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)