Rohtak (Haryana) [India], October 2 : Bharatiya Janata Party MP Ravi Shankar Prasad took a jibe at Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, saying that he needs permission to visit Haryana as the party has become 'Hooda Congress' in the state, in a reference to the Hooda family.
"All India Congress is Hooda Congress in Haryana. Even Rahul Gandhi cannot come here without permission...I was told that Congress wanted an alliance in the state but Hooda did not agree to it," said the BJP MP.
Attacking Congress party further, he said that the party should have 'respected' Kumari Selja.
"The way Kumari Selja was treated, we have read and seen. At least, her seniority should have been respected...Why did Congress not release its manifesto in Haryana? What was the compulsion to release the manifesto in Delhi? They could have done it in Rohtak, Karnal, and eventually, they did it in Chandigarh," Prasad further said.
Meanwhile, the security arrangement has been tightened in Haryana ahead of the assembly, which is scheduled to take place on October 5.
There are 90 assembly constituencies in Haryana. In 2019, BJP emerged as the single largest party with 40 seats, and Congress won 30 seats.
225 paramilitary companies and 60,000 security personnel have been deployed for the elections, said an official.
According to DGP Haryana, 11,000 SPOs (Special Police Officers) are also stationed ahead of the elections.
Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapoor said that the highest amount of money was recovered in Gurugram, Faridabad, and Ambala in the state.
"Over 60 crore rupees have been recovered across Haryana. The Nuh area has been identified as highly sensitive. In Nuh, 13 paramilitary companies have been deployed," Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapoor said.
Recently, Haryana police seized 27,000 litres of liquor and uncovered a fake liquor factory as well.
The Chief Electoral Officer instructed that before polling, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) must be securely stored in strong rooms until they are transferred to polling booths. After voting, the EVMs should be transported with adequate security measures. Vehicles carrying EVMs must not stop during transit and should be equipped with GPS for security purposes.