Haryana Congress' 'Chintan Shivir' begins in Panchkula, various 'burning issues' taken up

A day-long 'Chintan Shivir' of Haryana Congress started in Panchkula on Monday to discuss the strategy to reach out to people over several "burning issues", including inflation, unemployment, and law and order, party sources said.

Besides, other issues related to farmers, Dalits, backward classes, and state's economic condition were also being discussed, they said.

Senior party leader Raghuvir Singh Kadian put up a resolution on agri-related issues and said the government should fix minimum support price (MSP) under the C2 formula (50 per cent profit over the input cost) as suggested by the Swaminathan Commission.

The party also demanded that farmers should be given legal guarantee on MSP.

Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president Udai Bhan, state unit's working presidents, Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Singh Hooda and other party MPs and MLAs from Haryana are among those who are taking part in the event.

However, Congress general secretary in-charge of Haryana affairs, Vivek Bansal, was not present, the sources said.

Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan had recently downplayed reports, which suggested that Bansal had not been invited or informed about the event.

During the brainstorming session, MLA Amit Sihag gave suggestions on improving conditions of farmers and labourers.

Another MLA Rao Dan Singh put up a resolution on economic matters. He said the state's debt was mounting while investments and jobs were going down.

Haryana faces a debt of over Rs 3 lakh crore and the unemployment rate has crossed 30 per cent, he claimed.

Another senior leader and MLA Geeta Bhukkal put up a resolution on Dalit and backward classes and issues related to women. She said these sections are being ''ignored'' under the present BJP-led government. Bhukkal said many welfare schemes launched during the previous Congress regime led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda had either been stopped or made ineffective by the present government.

MLA Jagbir Malik put up resolution on alleged deteriorating law and order situation in the state. He said even MLAs are facing threats and no one is feeling safe. ''One MLA was even forced to think of giving resignation after he and his family faced threats,'' Malik said, adding that the law and order in the state has collapsed under the BJP-led dispensation.

''Neither MLAs nor the public is safe. A DSP rank officer was killed recently in broad daylight. It seems that people's security is not on the agenda of this government,'' he said.

Another legislator Shamsher Gogi asked why the government is running from a high-level independent probe into the illegal mining issue.

In the 'Chintan Shivir', the party is also expected to chalk out details regarding a padyatra (foot march) in every district of the state from August 9 to 15 as part of the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)