Punjabis not displaced, but part of India: Anil Vij to Bhupinder Hooda

Chandigarh, Aug 19 (IANS) Former Haryana Home Minister and senior BJP leader Anil Vij on Monday slammed Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Bhupinder Hooda, saying he should know that Punjabis were not displaced, but they were part of India.

“Punjabis were hurt because of the mindset of people like Hooda, who made their own countrymen refugees,” he said.Advising Hooda, Vij said, “You need to change your mindset. Even after 70 years, you are still calling these people displaced because you do not want to accept them.”Vij was responding to a question asked by the media regarding Hooda’s statement about establishing a Punjabi Displaced Welfare Board if the Congress government came into power in the state.Hooda, who was in Karnal to chair a state-level Punjabi Samaj Sammelan, organised on the martyrdom day of freedom fighter Madan Lal Dhingra, on Sunday announced the formation of a Punjabi Welfare Board if voted to power.Expressing resentment over Hooda’s statement, Vij said: “You want to label those (Punjabis) whose generations were born on this land as second-class citizens by calling them displaced. Hooda should be punished for using the term displaced.”On the Congress leader’s remarks about corruption and hooliganism in the BJP government, Vij said: “Hooda is right that the Congress ran the state on the track of corruption for 10 years, but we have brought the state back on the track.” He mentioned that during the Congress tenure, jobs were sold through bids and transfer markets flourished.“The railway line of corruption built by them (the Congress) has been dismantled by us,” he said.On a statement by Randeep Surjewala, Vij questioned him: “Tell us, where has the BJP engaged in hooliganism? Where and when has a case been registered against a BJP leader? And if I start listing the cases registered against Congress leaders, it will take all the time.”He sarcastically remarked, “Goons are nurtured within the Congress and the Congress provides them protection. No goons are nurtured within the BJP, they are kicked out in a minute.”The five-time legislator from Ambala Cantonment, who is widely known for his clean image, added, “Goons exist in the Congress, there are no goons in the Bharatiya Janata Party.”Haryana will go to the polls for the 90-member legislative assembly on October 1.–IANSvg/dan