Haryana Chief Minister Khattar Meets Shah, Gets Clean Chit

New Delhi: After Haryana was engulfed in violence by supporters of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for a 2002 rape case, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar met BJP National President Amit Shah in New Delhi.

Khattar, who has been drawing flak for the breakdown of law and order in his state, gave Shah a status report. BJP sources said that Khattar’s position as Haryana CM is secure and the party president had given him a clean chit.

When asked about Khattar’s possible ouster, Anil Jain, BJP General Secretary in-charge of Haryana had on Saturday said that there was “no resignation under consideration".

“What the BJP president said about Khattar earlier this month, during his three-day visit to the state, stands as of now," said a senior BJP functionary, reminding that Shah had lauded Khattar at Rohtak. “There is no change in that position as yet," added the source.

He added that Khattar, as CM, had “done his best" to bring the situation under control in three hours. He said that Amit Shah had visited Haryana on a three-day tour and during a press conference, expressed his confidence in the state government.

Shah was satisfied with the functioning of the Haryana government, he said, and that view had no changed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed concern over the situation in Haryana. However, reports that Khattar had left for New Delhi on Saturday were false, Jain said.

Haryana Home Secretary Ram Niwas had told News18 that he was “not asked to go slow" by Khattar, indicating that there had been no political interference in his decisions.

Violence began on Friday after a CBI Court in Panchkula convicted Ram Rahim, the controversial Dera leader, of raping two Sadhvis who were part of his religious sect. This led to violence by Dera supporters that killed 36 and injured over 250 people.

Critics of the Haryana government said that Khattar did not act on intelligence inputs that Dera supporters were stocking up on arms and petrol bombs ahead of the verdict. They also slammed Khattar for allowing thousands to enter Panchkula despite prohibitory orders being put in place.