Jat stir: Congress demands government's dismissal, fresh poll in Haryana

NEW DELHI: Congress today demanded that the Haryana government be dismissed, assembly dissolved and fresh election held as the BJP dispensation does not have the right to stay in office in the wake of the Jat quota agitation that has left several people dead and damaged properties worth Rs 20,000 crore.

"They do not have the right to stay in office even for five minutes in the wake of the incidents. The government should be dismissed. The Assembly should be dissolved and fresh elections ordered," Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters here.

Targeting BJP and the M L Khattar government in Haryana, he blamed its "misgovernance" for the present state of affairs and alleged that they neither have the experience nor the capacity to rule. "They are responsible for making the most forward and developed state the most backward," he said.

Asked about the audio tape allegedly implicating a close aide of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and whether the party would take action against him, Azad made a veiled reference to the JNU row. "These are days when fake audio tapes are running on TV channels. They (channels) are equally responsible for tensions across the country," he said.

"TRP has finished the country. This rat race... baked, half-baked, unbaked news. We are all responsible for this mess," he said.

When told that the Haryana Congress chief has already initiated action in the matter, he said, "I don't blame PCC President. He may have taken it on face value."

Taking a dig at BJP, Azad said, "They cannot run a government. They got dozens killed (in the Jat agitation). One should only do the work for which one is fit. They just cannot do it. All of a sudden this issue of nationalism cropped up. Which anti-national is sitting here. We did not see any anti-national in the last 50 years. They are doing this to promote their party."

Alleging that there are "divisions" within the BJP, Azad said the Chief Minister, ministers and MPs make different statements on the same issue.

Responding to the attack by some BJP members on Rahul Gandhi over the JNU row, Azad said, "Are they nationalists? I ask this to those who are calling us anti-national. If anybody calls a person anti-national that is the start of anti-nationalism."