'Will go with party leadership,' says Hooda on support to AAP on Ordinance issue

We have made it clear-cut that we have no relation with the AAP. Speaking on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal issue, Hooda said the state government should file a contempt of court petition in the Supreme Court over the delay in its construction.The Supreme Court has already decided in Haryanas favour and directed the Punjab government to construct the SYL canal, he said.When asked to comment on some reports suggesting that SYL water to Haryana could be brought via Himachal too, Hooda said, such a move will further entangle the issue.

Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday said the state unit of the party will follow the high command on the issue of supporting the Aam Aadmi Party on the Delhi services ordinance issue.

''Our central leadership will decide,'' said Hooda when asked about Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa's refusal to support the AAP on the Centre's ordinance on control of services in Delhi.

Asked about the stand of the party's state unit on the matter, Hooda said, ''When they ask us, we will tell them. When we tell them, you will get to know.'' ''My stand is, whatever our central leadership decides we will follow,'' the Leader of Opposition in Haryana assembly said at a press conference.

Bajwa's remarks on Wednesday had come on the heels of a meeting between Congress leaders from Punjab and the party leadership in the national capital.

When he was asked whether the Punjab Congress will support the AAP, Bajwa, the Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly, said, ''We are not going to support them at all. We have made it clear-cut that we have no relation with the AAP.'' Speaking on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal issue, Hooda said the state government should file a ''contempt of court'' petition in the Supreme Court over the delay in its construction.

''The Supreme Court has already decided in Haryana's favour and directed the Punjab government to construct the SYL canal,'' he said.

When asked to comment on some reports suggesting that SYL water to Haryana could be brought via Himachal too, Hooda said, ''such a move will further entangle the issue. It will also dilute Haryana's right on SYL.'' Hooda also attacked the Manohar Lal Khattar-led Haryana government criticising its claim to compensate all rain-ravaged farmlands.

Crops across more than 17 lakh acres of the state were damaged due to March-April rains, but the government gave compensation for only about 3 lakh acres of crops, he said.

Hooda said that about two lakh government posts were lying vacant in Haryana, despite severe unemployment.

''Today the situation is such that there are neither teachers nor basic facilities for the children in schools. Today 538 schools in the state do not even have toilets for girls. There are 1,047 schools where there is no toilet even for boys.

''There is no drinking water in 131 schools and electricity in 236 schools in the state. There is no boundary wall in 321 schools,'' he said.

Speaking about farmers, Hooda said that after paddy, mustard, and wheat, sunflower farmers are also in distress.

''Sunflower, which has a (minimum) support price of Rs 6,400, is being sold at a rate of Rs 4,000 per quintal due to non-procurement by the government. The government is neither giving MSP nor compensation to the farmers,'' he said.

The Congress leader said the BJP led government in the state makes tall claims about its stance towards corruption, but reality was something else.

''Many scams have been revealed in the report of the CAG in the past. It has come to light that Rs 200 crore was paid to a contractor in Faridabad Municipal Corporation without any work done… All these irregularities should be investigated,'' he said.