High drama during law and order debate in Haryana assembly

Chandigarh: High drama unfolded in the Haryana assembly on Tuesday during a heated discussion on the law and order situation. Chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, while defending his govt, reiterated the administration's zero-tolerance policy towards crime and criminals. The debate took place during the adjournment motion on the second day of the monsoon session.As CM Saini launched a counter-offensive against former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and the previous Congress-led govt, Congress MLAs led by Hooda staged a walkout from the house.Saini specifically targeted Hooda and Congress MLAs, highlighting major incidents under the previous regime, particularly in Rohtak. He also presented data on preventive measures and claimed a decline in the crime rate under his tenure.The two-hour discussion on the calling attention motion, moved by Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal and other opposition members, saw intense exchanges. Besides Hooda and Bhukkal, Congress MLAs Aftab Ahmed, Bharat Bhushan Batra, Ashok Arora, and INLD's Arjun Chautala criticised the BJP-led govt, citing NCRB data on rising crimes.Opposition members raised concerns over extortion calls, rapes, murders, and crimes against dalits and women. In response, parliamentary affairs minister Mahipal Dhanda, along with cabinet colleagues Krishan Bedi, Vipul Goyal, and Kalka MLA Shakti Rani Sharma, defended the govt. Sharma highlighted Haryana's emergence as a preferred destination for investors and entrepreneurs.Vipul Goyal read out a statement from the father of the schoolteacher, whose death has has sparked widespread outrage in Bhiwani, urging politicians not to politicise her death and appreciating CM Saini's efforts.CM Saini, the last to speak, praised speaker Harvinder Kalyan for his patience during the ruckus created by Congress MLAs on the first day of the motion. He recalled announcing the zero-tolerance policy in the first cabinet meeting on Oct 18, 2024, and reiterated that criminals must either reform or face action. "No matter how influential a person is, if they break the law, they will not be spared. In Haryana, it is the rule of law that prevails, not the status of prisoners," he said.Saini also referenced past incidents that plagued the Hooda govt. He detailed actions taken under his leadership, including encounters, extradition of criminals from abroad, and swift convictions in gangrape and murder cases.He noted a consistent decline in major crimes and emphasized that, unlike pre-2014 when citizens struggled to file FIRs, public trust in the Haryana Police has now increased.Reflecting on 2014, Saini said the state was once stigmatised by female foeticide. He credited the launch of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao initiative by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Panipat on Jan 22, 2015, for improving the sex ratio from 871 to 910.