Jan Samwad programmes: CM Khattar strikes a chord with Kurukshetra rural voters

The three-day Jan Samwad programme of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar ended in Kurukshetra on Wednesday. Through the programme, the CM striked a chord with rural voters and tested the waters ahead of the next year’s Lok Sabha and assembly elections.

“I am here not to deliver a speech but to have an interaction with locals and take feedback about the works that we have done during the past over eight years of our regime,” he said in his address in Nalvi village. He also asked the media and security officials to get aside so that he could have a direct contact with the public.

Under the programme, during his three-day stay in the district, the CM attended the events in nine villages, with 3,000 to 5,000 votes, and toured several villages of Thanesar, Shahbad, Pehowa and Ladwa assembly segments of the district. He also stopped his cavalcade at several locations to interact with students and farmers.

The CM claimed that dedicated efforts had been made to further strengthen roads and infrastructure of colleges, universities, medical colleges and health services and more projects will be completed in the next year.

Khattar had a direct interaction with hundreds of people, especially newly-elected sarpanches who raised the issues of poor infrastructure, health facilities, family IDs, cancellation of BPL ration cards, cleaning of ponds, drainage and encroachments on panchayati land.

“This is a good attempt by the CM to reach-out the rural voters to strengthen the party in these areas. The programmes got an overwhelming response among masses but we will have to see whether the BJP and the CM managed to persuade the sarpanches, who have been slamming the government for e-tendering,” said a Karnal-based retired political science professor Dr Ramji Lal.

Faces people’s ire over cancellation of ration cards

CM Khattar also faced criticism over cancellation of ration cards, old age pension and problems related to family IDs. He heard the problems being faced by people and redressed most of the issues on the spot.

“In our second term, we got only three years to work as two years were gone in Covid. Now, with only one-and-half-year left, we have to work a lot for the betterment of the state,” the chief minister added.

Beneficiaries of the Ayushman Bharat Scheme and family members of the youths, who got government jobs, appreciated the state government’s decisions. “The CM took more than three years to come to us. People are coming to his programmes as they are facing several problems and have many complaints,” said a Jhansa village farmer, Karnail Singh.

Targets Opposition for corruption

During the programme, Khattar never missed an opportunity to slam the previous governments over the issues of corruption and told people how the BJP-led state government was committed for the welfare of people. “If we compare our work with the previous (Congress) government, our government will always have an upper hand in terms of both development works and targeting corruption,” the CM said in Jhansa village.

He said a number of people were getting benefits under various schemes and initiatives such as e-tendering, family IDs, selection on merit basis and Ayushman Bharat scheme. He also took feedback and came to know about the experience of beneficiaries of various government schemes.

“During the previous governments, people had to struggle to get benefits of government schemes,” he said in Nalvi village.

Development works will be completed soon, sarpanches assured

The CM also utilised the platform to counter the criticism of e-tendering of the panchayat works. The move evoked criticism from the newly-elected sarpanches of the state who termed the decision as an attempt to curtail financial powers of the panchayats.

Also, sarpanches were given a priority to raise the issues of their villages and the CM resolved most of the issues on the spot.

He assured sarpanches that their demands regarding development works would be fulfilled at the earliest.

“e-tendering was introduced to bring transparency in the panchayat works and several sarpanches have also been in favour of it. The initiative was taken to strengthen the panchayats and to ensure that developmental works are done within a timeframe,” the CM said in his address in Nalvi village.

“The proposals of development works passed and sent by the gram panchayats will be completed for sure,” he assured sarpanches and asked them to hold meetings of the gram sabha once in three months.