Last updated on September 18th, 2024 at 11:48 pm
For years, the people of Haryana endured a period of stark neglect and blatant favoritism under the Congress regime, particularly during Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s leadership. Certain regions of the state flourished while others were completely forgotten. At the level of the Chief Minister, it became evident that development was not distributed evenly; instead, resources were redirected towards areas serving Hooda’s political interests, leaving the majority of Haryana in the lurch.
Under Hooda’s rule, the state’s treasury was opened primarily for the benefit of one region. The most glaring example of this undemocratic approach was the mismanagement of over ₹1,000 crore out of ₹5,000 crore collected under External Development Charges (EDC) in Gurgaon. The Congress government admitted in court that it couldn’t utilize this huge sum for the welfare and development of the region, reflecting a lack of commitment to the public’s welfare.
The favoritism extended to the Congress government’s “Model Village” scheme, where Rohtak, Hooda’s home district, was prioritized heavily. Thirty-six percent of the model villages named under the scheme were from just two districts, with Rohtak benefiting the most. Regions associated with political rivals, like Sirsa, home to the Chautala family, were completely ignored, revealing a political motive behind the distribution of resources.
Between 2004-05 and 2013-14, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) also reflected this discriminatory pattern, with regions such as Rewari, Bhiwani, Mahendragarh, Hisar, and Jind seeing minimal development. Development announcements during this period were mostly limited to certain favored areas, while vast swathes of Haryana were left underdeveloped, forcing people to abandon hope in their government.
This era of regional bias under the Congress rule caused deep resentment among many Haryana residents. Despite the government collecting taxes and development charges from all districts, the benefits were unevenly distributed, leaving most regions forgotten and disappointed.
