BJP failed to address key issues like inflation and unemployment, says Bhupinder Hooda

Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday said that farmers' plight, Agnipath, unemployment, law and order, and inflation were key issues which the ruling BJP failed to address. As the Congress appeared set to wrest five Lok Sabha seats from the ruling BJP in Haryana, Hooda said that he had been saying "there is a wave blowing in favour of the Congress".

"You asked me about exit polls predicting most seats to the BJP, to which I said wait for the actual poll results on June 4," the Congress veteran said. Haryana is known for "jai jawan, jai kisan, jai pehalwan".

"But what did they (BJP) do. They brought Agniveer (Agnipath scheme), which faced opposition from the youth. They did not redress farmers' issues. And everyone knows the treatment that was meted to our wrestler daughters, who had to protest (at Delhi's Jantar Mantar)," he said.

Hooda said that unemployment increased in the state during the BJP rule while the law and order situation also deteriorated.

He claimed that the Congress' performance in the Lok Sabha polls in the state will have an impact on the Vidhan Sabha elections, which are due in October.

"This is clear indication that people of Haryana have made up their mind to bring the Congress to power in the Assembly polls," Hooda claimed.

Referring to the Lok Sabha polls, Hooda said people have supported the Congress.

The Congress leader said that he had been maintaining that BJP will be "wiped out in south, halved in north"

"Look at Haryana and Rajasthan...People have given us good support," he added.

On the BJP's claims that NDA will win 400 seats this time, Hooda said, "I had been saying that it was a mere slogan. In Haryana too, in the 2019 Assembly polls, the BJP had given slogan of 'Abki baar 75 paar' (claiming to win 75 of the 90 seats). Everyone knows how many seats they later won. (BJP had won 40 seats)."

Hooda said that he had maintained that it will be a direct fight between the Congress and BJP in Haryana in the Lok Sabha polls.

"I had been repeatedly saying that it is going to be a direct fight between the Congress and BJP. And that has been proved," said Hooda.

"The people have rejected the 'vote katu' (vote cutters) outfits," he added referring to the JJP and INLD.

Going by the trends available late afternoon, the Congress appeared on course to win Ambala, Hisar, Rohtak, Sirsa and Sonipat seats.

The grand old party had contested nine of the ten Lok Sabha seats leaving the Kurukshetra seat to its INDIA bloc ally AAP. AAP's Sushil Gupta, was, however, behind BJP's Naveen Jindal from the seat.