Namaz should not be made into a show of strength: CM

On the recent incident in Haryana’s Pataudi, where Christmas celebrations were disrupted by Hindu groups, Khattar said it was “unfortunate”.

“Ideally, no one should disrupt someone else’s function. If anyone has a problem or apprehension, they should inform the authorities beforehand rather than causing any disruption,” he said.

At the interaction, Khattar spoke on a range of issues, including the recent farmers’ protest, its impact on state politics, the relevance of khap panchayats, and the state’s plan to revive the Saraswati river.

“The khaps started as a community system in the ancient times to protect against the enemy. But with changing times, their role has changed. They work together on social issues as a group,” said the CM. “However, they shouldn’t exceed their mandate and decide on criminal issues,” Khattar said.
He also spoke about what he described as the khaps’ positive role in the government’s Beti Bachao scheme, and their support for the farmers’ protest. He added that there was a difference between those who initiated the protest, and those who supported it. “While those who started the protests had political ambition, as is now amply clear, many of those who supported the protests were doing it for a social cause,” he said.

The farmers’ protest and the consequent withdrawal of the farm Bills, will, however, have no bearing on the state’s politics and voting pattern, Khattar said.

“If at all, it has increased (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji’s stature in the eyes of the public. After all, the Bills were to help the farmers, but if despite all clarifications they couldn’t understand, the protest cannot be unending, so Modiji withdrew the Bills,” he said. “We have always worked for the welfare of the farmers and will continue to do so, but on the farm Bills, pecha phas gaya tha (the situation got tangled),” he added.

The state has not yet validated the claims of those said to have died during the protests. “The government does not have a record. How do we know if a person died in the protest site or in a road accident near the protest site,” Khattar said. There were around 280 cases related to the farmers’ protests in Haryana and the process of withdrawing them was going on, he said. “There are a few cases of rape and murder, which will not be taken back,” he added.

The CM also elaborated on plans to revive the Saraswati river. “We are going to sign an MoU with Himachal Pradesh on January 21, 2022 to build a dam at the starting point for the river, so that round-the-year flow can be maintained. In the first phase, tourist spots will be created along the river’s course till Pehowa, keeping in mind the sanctity of the river,” he said. The state government has made a provision for projects worth Rs 800 crore for rejuvenation of Saraswati river.

He said there is a lot of scope to develop religious tourism in the state since the state doesn’t have a typical tourism-centric topography in terms of hills and water bodies. “I have also requested the Centre to sanction a direct corridor project from Delhi to Rakhigarhi so that those interested in heritage and ancient civilisations can have an easy access to the archaeological site,” he said.