Video Editor: Varun Sharma, Sandeep Suman, Ashutosh Bharadwaj
As part of The Quint’ coverage of Haryana Assembly elections we took a bus ride from Hisar to Fatehabad to gauge the mood of the general public – how they feel about the Khattar government, if they want him to come back to power, or if they’re looking for change.
En route, we met many we could split into two groups: those who were frustrated with the current government, and those who felt the government’s work in Haryana merited another term of the Khattar government.
“Centre is saying that there is no corruption but the person giving a bribe isn’t saying the same,” answered Ramparh, a local, when questioned about corruption in the state. Many locals shared Ramparh’s opinion, saying the government worked for the rich and not much for the middle class and the marginalised.
Motilal, another local, said that to get something done, they had to face several hurdles whereas “Khattar sahab’s job gets done easily.”
Some spoke of unemployment as a pressing issue along with election campaigns limiting festive-season trade. The abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir is yet another issue, to which Motilal said,
“It is the Kashmiri’s right to vote on the basis on Article 370. Not ours.”
Contrarily, those who held the government had done good work in the previous five years agreed said the condition of roads has improved, thereby reducing travelling time.
Speaking about employment opportunities, Pooja, a local, said, “The government has helped me with my education. I have also secured a job without any hassles.”
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