Manohar Lal Khattar is contesting the Lok Sabha election from Karnal constituency. He has already served Haryana as the Chief Minister for nine-and-a-half years. He is among the star campaigners of the BJP and is now touring the state, campaigning not only for himself but also for nine other Lok Sabha candidates and for Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who is contesting from Karnal Assembly seat.
In an interview with a National media organisation, Manohar Lal Khattar spoke on different issues, including unemployment, farmer issues, about his tenure as CM and others. Excerpts from the interview.
Apart from 10 seats of Lok Sabha in the state, Haryana is also going to witness a by election on Karnal Assembly seat, from where CM Saini is contesting. How well prepared are you for elections in Haryana?
The BJP is well prepared for Lok Sabha and Karnal by election. All the party workers and leaders are working with full dedication for the candidates. We will win 11 seats in Haryana – 10 of Lok Sabha and one of Karnal Assembly by election by record margin. In 2019, the BJP had won 10 out of 10.
Farmers are protesting for minimum support price (MSP) and alleging they are being restricted from crossing borders. What are the plans of the government to address their concerns regarding MSP?
There is no state other than Haryana that provides more facilities to farmers. Haryana is purchasing 14 crops at MSP. Our government has provided highest compensation for damaged crops. During the previous Congress government led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda, farmers were compensated with Rs 1,100 crore in 10 years. The BJP government in the state has so far compensated farmers with Rs 13,000 crore for crop loss in the past nine-and-a-half years. We directly transfer money into the farmers’ accounts. Subsidies are given to farmers. During Congress government in the state, there was shortage of DAP and urea as no purchase was done in 2013-14, due to which there used to be long queues for fertilisers due to lack of vision of previous Congress government. We had to face difficulties as there was no stock in 2014-15 and had to distribute DAP and urea with the help of the police. Now, there is no shortage of DAP and urea in the state.
The Opposition is raising the issue of unemployment. What are the plans to tackle the challenge of unemployment and to generate employment opportunities?
Over the past nine-and-a-half years, our government has significantly surpassed the 10-year tenure of the previous government in addressing the issue of unemployment in Haryana. Three times more job opportunities have been created compared to the Congress regime. After the removal of the model code of conduct, the remaining results will be declared in the next six months and more jobs will be provided. Over 30 lakh people got jobs due to foreign investment.
How do you assess your performance as CM in addressing the issues faced by Haryana as a whole?
People of the state will assess my performance. We have worked with a vision of ‘Haryana Ek, Haryanvi Ek’ for the overall development of the state. We tried our best to eradicate corruption, nepotism and discrimination and replaced it with transparency. We have brought transformative change in the state’s administrative systems. The administration became more accountable, responsive and accessible to the people it served. e-governance is a major tool in ensuring government is more approachable and efficient. We have focused on economic growth, industrial development and overall well-being of the residents. The establishment of medical colleges and girls colleges is a part of our commitment towards education and health.
