Haryana govt announces sops to woo voters

Chandigarh: Haryana’s BJP govt cleared tweaks in SC and OBC quotas as part of a slew of populist decisions despite the model code kicking in since declaration of assembly polls the previous day, signalling a last-minute shaky dash to woo voters.
CM Nayab Singh Saini, treading cautiously, said the decisions cleared at a cabinet meeting were subject to EC’s approval. The decisions also include one that provides job security for extension (contractual) college lecturers getting Rs 50,000 and above per month. The model code came into force on August 16 after the announcement of the Oct 1 polls. Saini had ample time to prepone the cabinet meeting before that. But he chose to have it on August 17.
“I was caught unawares on the declaration of the elections. We were all surprised. But since the agenda of the cabinet meeting had been circulated and time had been fixed in advance, we had to convene the meeting,” said Saini.
While leaving the fate of the decisions to the poll panel, the CM exuded optimism they would go through eventually. “We are sure to form the govt on Oct 4 and we shall have the first meeting of the House on Oct 6, where we will pass all these proposals,” Saini said. Possibly aware of the model code hurdles, the CM said his govt would form a three-member committee of secretaries to “screen” issues and forward them to the EC through chief electoral officer (CEO) Pankaj Aggarwal. The CEO described the screening committee, led by the state chief secretary, as a routine practice after imposition of model code to get clearance for urgent matters that may halt routine functioning of govt departments.
Former CM and leader of opposition, Congress’s Bhupinder Singh Hooda, accused the Saini govt of trying “to befool people of state and various groups”. “They had sufficient time to do all this in the past 10 years. What stopped them in doing so? Now, since they know about their fate in the elections, they are resorting to these acts. Else, the model code of conduct means total bar,” said Hooda. A key move included reservations in promotions to SCs within the quota.