Haryana CM flags off ‘Run for Unity’ in Panchkula

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini flagged off the Run for Unity to mark the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, with a large number of people participating in the event to promote national unity and integrity in Panchkula on Saturday.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister described Patel as a great revolutionary and a visionary leader known as the Iron Man of India. He congratulated people on Patel’s birth anniversary and said the country’s youth were participating in the unity run.

He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with giving Patel’s birth anniversary the significance of National Unity Day and said the construction of the world’s tallest statue of Patel had helped bring the country together by commemorating his contribution to national integration.

Commenting on the Congress rally scheduled in Delhi on November 1, the Chief Minister accused the party of spreading misinformation and said its claims of promoting a “Mohabbat Ki Dukaan” contradicted its political record.

Referring to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, he questioned whether the killings of Sikhs would find a place in Rahul Gandhi’s idea of a “Mohabbat Ki Dukaan”.

The Chief Minister also criticised the Congress over its opposition to the abrogation of Article 370, action against terrorism and the government’s handling of Naxalism. He referred to the Bodo conflict in Assam and alleged that corruption and scams had marked Congress rule.

He further questioned the Congress’s record on poverty alleviation, saying the present government had worked to empower poor people. He said the Prime Minister had undertaken initiatives for women, farmers and youth.

Targeting the Congress leadership, he said the party was running a “Jhooth Ki Dukaan” rather than a “Mohabbat Ki Dukaan” and accused Rahul Gandhi of trying to regain political ground through misleading statements.

Referring to the NDA alliance and Uttar Pradesh politics, the Chief Minister alleged that people had lived in fear during Akhilesh Yadav’s tenure.

Asked about the removal and subsequent reappointment of a joint director in connection with a corruption case, the Chief Minister said the matter was separate and that he was not aware of the details.