Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Om Prakash Dhankhar, who chairs the BJP’s Poll Manifesto Committee for the upcoming Haryana Assembly Election, on Sunday announced that the party’s election manifesto or Sankalp Patra, incorporating the people’s suggestions, will be unveiled in the second week of September. Dhankhar highlighted that the committee has already received over 25,000 suggestions from a diverse cross-section of society, including farmers, youth, women, workers, ex-servicemen, and members of scheduled and backward classes. “Every suggestion holds significant value and is being thoroughly examined by the panel members to ensure that the manifesto reflects the aspirations and concerns of the people,” he said.

Dhankar, Haryana’s former Agriculture Minister and BJP national secretary, emphasized that in the last 10 years, the BJP-led State Government has made significant progress in Haryana, providing 24-hour electricity, connecting every district with four-lane roads, and eliminating the long queues for cooking gas cylinders that were common under the previous government. He confidently stated that the BJP delivered on its promises, unlike the Congress, which he accused of making false claims. Dhankar expressed his belief that the BJP will retain power in Haryana because people have witnessed the party’s accomplishments over the past decade.

In an exclusive interview with The Pioneer, former Haryana BJP president Dhankar talked about BJP’s poll manifesto and its preparedness, state’s major issues, his candidature in Assembly election, among other issues. 

You were recently made chairman of BJP’s election manifesto committee. When would party declare its poll manifesto?

The party has decided to seek suggestions from the people of every section for preparing the poll manifesto. The aim is to gather feedback regarding people’s expectations from the BJP. A 14-member manifesto committee, headed by me, would submit the crucial document at the earliest after incorporating views of every section of society. Party will release its manifesto in the second week of this month. The Sankalp Patra will incorporate views of every section of society. Along with reforms in the society, new challenges also come, so our Sankalp Patra will be in accordance with the current challenge, future aspirations and budget estimates. However, other political parties release manifestos without estimating the budget, so their announcements remain mere announcements. BJP does what it says in its Sankalp Patra.

Moreover, over 25,000 suggestions have been received, so far, from every section of the society from across the State, farmers, youth, women, workers, ex-servicemen, scheduled and backward class citizens. The counting of such suggestions is still going on. Every suggestion is valuable for us. Every suggestion is being discussed in depth by the concerned members. In the manifesto for 2019 assembly polls, our party has promised to do 265 works, which we have fulfilled.

Haryana Poll date revised from October 1 to 5, and its result on October 8. Your comments.

I welcome the Election Commission’s decision to defer Haryana poll date. Our State president Mohan Lal Badoli had earlier written a letter to ECI regarding the long weekend and centuries-old Asoj Amavasya festival celebration on October 2. Not only from Haryana, numerous families from Punjab and Rajasthan used to observe a long-standing tradition of visiting their native village Mukam, in Rajasthan, during the Amavas in the month of ‘Asoj’ for their annual festival in Bikaner district, in the memory of their Guru Jambheshwar.

What are the main issues in this Assembly election?

The issue in the State is non-stoppable development. BJP works to make Haryana even better. BJP led State Government has provided 24-hour electricity in Haryana and connected every district with four-lane roads. Our Government ended the long queues for cooking gas cylinders which were seen during the Opposition party rule. The Opposition had recently made ‘khatakhat khatakhat’ announcements and misled the voters in the recent parliamentary elections. But we will work ‘fatafat fatafat’ to fulfill all our sankalps. In the past 10 years, our double engine government has fulfilled all the promises made in earlier manifesto. Our voters are sensible. If you look at history, the party that has government at the Centre has made the government in Haryana. I am confident that BJP will form the government for the third time in the state.

Congress targets BJP for failure to tackle unemployment, inflation, farmers’ issues. How would you react?

There was a full stop on development in Haryana during the Congress rule, whereas the BJP in the past 10 years has worked non-stop. Congress should tell how many promises it fulfilled between 2005 and 2014 when the party was in power. Jobs used to be on sale during the Congress rule in the State. There was favouritism in giving jobs during the previous Congress-led regime in the State. Our Government has fulfilled 100 percent promises. BJP has set the system right and given jobs on the basis of merit. We have given 1.3 lakh jobs purely on the basis of merit. BJP will retain power in Haryana because people have seen the work the party did over the last 10 years. Fourteen crops were procured at the minimum support price (MSP). Our Government has also decided to procure all crops on MSP. Our government has worked for the benefit of every section of the society in the last 10 years. The people of the state will give BJP the opportunity to serve Haryana for the third consecutive time.

You were recently appointed as BJP’s national secretary. Will you contest the Assembly Election?

We are party workers and working day and night for the betterment of the society. We try to address the concerns of the people of the State and the Country. Our central leadership will take a final call on my candidature. Party will soon release its list of candidates for the Assembly election.