Chandigarh, March 18 — The Haryana Assembly witnessed a heated showdown on Tuesday as BJP and Congress MLAs clashed over alleged irregularities in government job recruitments during former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s tenure.
The uproar began during Zero Hour when BJP MLA Om Parkash Yadav cited a recent Punjab and Haryana High Court verdict questioning a 2008 recruitment process. He alleged that the Hooda-led Congress government had unfairly denied a job to a topper, favoring another candidate instead.
Yadav’s remarks sparked an immediate backlash from Congress MLAs, who challenged the claim. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mahipal Dhanda backed Yadav, while Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini accused Congress of manipulating merit lists and misleading youth with election promises of “50 votes for one job.”
“The high court verdict is linked to the future of our youth. During assembly elections, Congress misled them, offering jobs in exchange for votes. Their government denied employment to meritorious candidates,” Saini said.
As tensions rose, senior BJP leader Anil Vij took jabs at Hooda, who was absent from the House. His comments triggered a sharp response from Congress MLAs, forcing Speaker Harvinder Singh Kalyan to order Vij’s remarks be expunged from the records.
The situation escalated further when Congress MLA Raghuvir Singh Kadian hit back at the BJP, prompting ruling party members to storm the Well of the House, raising slogans and disrupting proceedings.
With the chaos continuing, Speaker Kalyan repeatedly urged members to maintain decorum, warning Kadian against defying the Chair. “I am giving importance to your seniority. Go back to your seat, or I will have to name you. Please don’t cross the limits,” he said.
Despite the Speaker’s appeals, the ruckus persisted for over 20 minutes, leading Congress members to stage a walkout.
