'Congress Has Lost Its Way': Bhupinder Hooda Criticises Party's Kashmir Stand at 1st Mega Rally Ahead of Haryana Polls

New Delhi: Amid speculation of senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda quitting the party to form his own outfit, former Haryana chief minister on Sunday expressed his support towards the Narendra Modi-led government’s move on Kashmir and said that he would not compromise with anyone when it came to patriotism and self-respect.

Hitting out further at his parent party, he said the Congress was no more the same it used to be and had lost its way. “When the government does something right, I support it. Many of my colleagues opposed the decision to abrogate Article 370 (of the Constitution)… Our brothers are deployed as soldiers in Kashmir and hence, I support it.

“I was born in a patriotic family. Those who oppose (abrogation of Article 370), I want to tell them ‘usulon par jahan aanch aaye, vahan takrana zaruri hai. Jo zinda hai to zinda dikhna zaruri hai’ (When it’s about principles and traditions, we should fight for it. What’s alive, must look alive),” he said.

The veteran politician from Haryana, which would see Assembly elections in October, said the state government would, however, have to give an account of what it did in the last five years and not hide behind this decision of the Centre.

He was speaking at the Mahaparivartan rally organised in Rohtak where he was expected to announce his future party plans. Reports had earlier suggested that the two-time chief minister was planning to float his own outfit ahead of the elections.

Hooda later took to Twitter and said lakhs of people attended the rally and thanked the people for making it a success.

Reports had also suggested that Hooda had met with senior Congress leaders, including party's interim president Sonia Gandhi, in Delhi on August 17. However, he had denied the reports, stating that everything would be clear during the rally. At present, the state has a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, led by Manohar Lal Khattar.

Hooda further said that if he would like to introduce a legislation like the one in Andhra Pradesh that would reserve 75% jobs for the people of Haryana. “If we form the government, we will bring in a law like Andhra Pradesh so that 75% of jobs go to the people of Haryana.”

His son, Deepender Singh Hooda said at the rally, “We follow the path of love, growth and development. The path that the BJP has shown in the last five years is that of riots, unemployment and intolerance. Today, we have a chance to take back Haryana politics in the direction that can help the state grow.