Interview | No impact of farmers’ agitation on polls; worshipping should not become a show of strength: Haryana CM

With the make or break Assembly elections in three key states coming up, the BJP appears to be a bit uneasy about the results. But Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar is unperturbed when asked if the farmers’ agitation would affect the party’s electoral prospects, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. “Our popularity does not depend on farmers’ agitation. In fact, we have done a lot for farmers too,” he said. Talking about the year-long farmers’ agitations on Delhi’s borders against the three farm laws, the chief minister said, “The protest was divided into two types of farmers. One who were supporters, and the other kind who had political ambitions.” He said that the ones with political ambitions were misleading ordinary farmers who were being instigated to protest. “We tried our best to convince them about the advantages of the three farm laws but their stubbornness made Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdraw them. This gesture of the Prime Minister has only enhanced his stature,” Manohar Lal said, adding: “It wasn’t a national protest and was limited to only Haryana, Punjab, some parts of Uttar Pradesh.” One of the demands of farmers was to compensate the families of farmers who had died during the agitation. Striking an assuring note, the Haryana chief minister said, “We do not have data of the exact number of people who died. There was no post-mortem. They might have died due to other reasons, say by accident or illness. So compensation will be given after tallying the list and confirming how the farmer had died.” He assured that cases against farmers would be taken back. [caption id=“attachment_10237041” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  (File image) Farmers block the railway tracks to protest against the government. PTI[/caption] Khaps are often in the news in Haryana for wrong reasons like ‘honour killings’, infanticide, inter-caste marriages, etc. Betraying a sympathetic view of Khaps, the chief minister said: “Khaps have been the guardians of society since long and that marrying in the same gotra was considered immoral. So to maintain that purity and discourage immoral activities, Khaps come into existence. Individuality in society takes us away from morality.” He emphasised, “It’s wrong to say that Khaps do not do positive things. Khaps are a very powerful community. They stood with the farmers in their protests. Power lies in their collective approach.” With a glaring gap in its sex ratio, Haryana is forced to ‘import’ brides from neighbouring states. “That’s not in our control,” the chief minister said. And what about infanticide? “In last two years the ratio has fallen to around 912, COVID-19 may be a reason too, we haven’t been able to concentrate on this side.” On action being taken, he informed, “Around 300 FIRs have been registered against people who have indulged in infanticide. We have decided on a target of 950 in the next two years.” Sex ratio has touched 923 in Haryana, as per reports. [caption id=“attachment_4304889” align=“alignnone” width=“630”]  Khap panchayat. Representational image[/caption] Lauding a dozen schemes that have been rolled out in the name of good governance and the change that have leveraged in the lives of Haryanvis, the chief minister said: “Corruption is prevalent at all levels, from top to bottom. But how to set it right is the question. I have the will power to set it right and eliminate all corruption.” On the communal clashes that were witnessed in Gurugram recently on the issue of holding namaz on the streets and public places, he said: “Till namaz is for the sake of worshiping, it’s okay, but to turn it into a show of strength is not right. A few organisations do something to show their strength. It’s a matter of faith, can be done at a masjid, and there is no problem in doing it with the permission of the administration.” On the incident of a church desecration in Pataudi, Manohar Lal said, “Such incidents are unfortunate, should not happen. They (victims) can approach the administration or the Peace Committees. Talks are the only solution to such incidents.” Parali burning in the fields of Haryana is a major environmental issue for Delhi and neighbouring states. The Chief Minister said, “The state government has given cash incentives to farmers to discourage them from burning their crops and instead find alternative ways. But in the case of no viable alternatives, farmers have not adhered to the government’s orders which is the problem.” The author is a freelance writer. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.