Good opposition people welcomed in BJP: Amit Shah in Haryana

The Union Home Minister recalled his earlier visit to Haryana's Jat heartland when Congress stalwart Birender Singh switched sides to the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

"I had come here for the induction of Chaudhary sahib,” he said, adding that the manner in which the leader fitted into his new party had "disturbed" many Congressmen.

“I want to tell them don't get disturbed. Good people who join the BJP are welcomed and respected,” he said.

Friday's 'Aastha' rally was organised by Birender Singh.

In the past few months in Haryana, several opposition MLAs from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), the Congress, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) have announced support for the ruling party.

Shah lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi on revocation of the special status for Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370, and on his Independence Day announcement that the country will get a Chief of Defence Staff.

At the public meeting being seen as the beginning of the BJP's assembly election campaign, the party chief predicted a two-thirds victory.

Birender Singh, a prominent Jat leader from Haryana, had joined the BJP on August 16, 2014 after ending his over four-decade association with the Congress.

The former rural development and panchayati raj and steel minister in the first term of the Modi government is a grandson of peasant leader Sir Chhotu Ram.

Singh's wife Prem Lata is the BJP MLA from Uchana Kalan assembly constituency and his son Brijendra Singh, a former IAS officer, is the Lok Sabha MP from Hisar.

Assembly polls are due in Haryana in October. In the 2014 elections, the BJP got 47 seats in Haryana out of total 90 assembly seats.

Shah said Haryana was earlier infamous for "shady land deals" and appointment to jobs was a "trade," and credited Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar for bringing about change.

“In one term, Khattar turned corruption into 'bhoot kaal' (past tense),” he said.

Predicting a two-thirds victory for the BJP in the assembly polls due by October, he said, “I know the 'veer bhoomi' (land of the bravehearts) will bless both Modi ji and Khattar.” In the 2014 elections, BJP got 47 seats in Haryana out of total 90 assembly seats.

“Khattar ended casteism. Earlier, jobs were given on the basis of caste. Development should not be undertaken on the basis of caste," he said.

"Money used to be exchanged for transfers,” he said, adding that a computerised mechanism for transferring government employees is now in place.

Shah said under Khattar, Haryana has become a kerosene-free state.