State government must clarify Haryana’s status in Chandigarh: Ashok Arora

KURUKSHETRA: Thanesar Congress MLA Ashok Arora on Tuesday accused the Haryana government of remaining silent on key public issues and demanded clarity on Haryana’s status in Chandigarh. Addressing a press conference in Kurukshetra, Arora said the state government must explain Haryana’s rights in Chandigarh, especially after the Centre did not approve the proposal for constructing a new Haryana Vidhan Sabha building there.

Arora, who was accompanied by councillors Manu Jain, Chandgi Ram, Subhash Mirzapur and others, said that during the bifurcation of Punjab and Haryana, 40% of Chandigarh came under Haryana’s share. “In such a situation, the government must clearly state what Haryana’s status is in Chandigarh. However, the BJP-led state government has maintained a studied silence,” he said.


Referring to the recently concluded winter session of the Haryana Assembly, Arora said he raised several issues related to Kurukshetra and Thanesar on the floor of the House. He reiterated his demand to declare Kurukshetra as the capital of Haryana, stating that the time had come for the state to have a new capital. “Kurukshetra is the most suitable place for this, considering its historical, cultural and geographical significance,” he said, adding that none of the attention motions he moved on Kurukshetra’s problems were accepted.

Highlighting infrastructure concerns, Arora said that for the past 10 years, announcements have been made about constructing a Kurukshetra bypass, but nothing has materialised on the ground. He added that he raised the issue of building a ring road for Kurukshetra during the Assembly session, but the government gave no response. Arora also demanded the four-laning of the Kurukshetra–Dhand–Kaithal road, citing heavy traffic and frequent accidents on the stretch. He pointed out that the road connects Kurukshetra with highways 152 and 152D and said its upgradation would significantly reduce accidents.

The MLA further raised concerns about employment security at Kurukshetra University. He demanded job guarantees for both teaching and non-teaching staff, particularly mess employees, who, he said, are still being paid only Rs 11,000 per month despite serving the university for 40 years or more. “These employees deserve job security and fair wages,” he said.

Arora also said he raised the demand to include the Rai community of Haryana in the backward class category. He noted that the Rai community resides in villages such as Mundakhera, Jyotisar and Hariapur and is already classified as backward in Punjab and Rajasthan. “They should also be included in the backward category in Haryana so that they can benefit from government welfare schemes,” he said.

Concluding, Arora alleged that the state government has little concern for public issues and said he would continue to raise the voice of the people both inside and outside the Assembly.


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