War of words in Haryana: CM Saini pitches prosperity, Congress alleges rising crime, debt

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Saturday (October 17, 2026) said the State government has given fresh impetus to its resolve to build a developed and prosperous Haryana, even as the Congress blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party regime in the State is marked by false promises, rising crime, unemployment and mounting debt.

Addressing a press conference here, to mark the completion of two years of the government’s third consecutive term, Mr. Saini said the government’s vision is to build a Haryana where every citizen has access to opportunities, essential services and the benefits of development, irrespective of region or social background.

The Chief Minister said that while Congress leaders frequently claimed to have made Haryana a leading State during their tenure, the reality was that the State had emerged as number one in corruption, nepotism, fear, favouritism and regional discrimination under Congress rule.

“Merit was pushed aside in government recruitment, with political recommendations and monetary considerations determining employment opportunities. Irregularities and scams, he said, had become rampant across various sectors under the previous Congress regime,” he alleged.

The Chief Minister said the policies pursued by the Congress government had not only hampered Haryana’s development but also deprived deserving citizens of their rightful opportunities. He accused the Congress of concentrating development in a particular region during its 10-year rule while neglecting other parts of the State.

Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and at present the leader of the Opposition Bhupendra Singh Hooda said, “The twelve years of BJP rule in the State are defined by false promises, rising crime, highest unemployment, highest debt, and rampant scams. Despite being in power for 12 years, even today the BJP does not have a single achievement to count, giving his response on the occasion of the second anniversary of BJP’s third term, citing statistics, facts and government reports.”

Mr. Hooda said, “There are 2 lakh posts vacant in government departments, but the government is not bothered. The unemployed youth are fleeing the State and the country. “The BJP has already backtracked on its promise to provide 2,100 Rupees to women. By imposing 50 different conditions, the government has rendered most women ineligible for this scheme,” he said in a statement.

Mr. Hooda said Haryana was the number one state in the country in terms of per capita income, per capita investment, employment generation, honouring sportspersons and elders, minimum support price to farmers, welfare and law and order when the Congress left the government in 2014. “But today, Haryana has become the number one state in the country in terms of unemployment, drug addiction, crime and debt,” he added.