Defence Minister Singh praises Khattar for his rule in Haryana

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday flagged off Bharatiya Janata Party's "Jan Ashirwad Yatra" in Kalka to drum up support for the party in view of the coming Assembly elections.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and many other senior BJP leaders were present on the occasion.

In his speech, Singh said: "In 2014, we did not project anyone as the chief ministerial face to the public. After winning the poll, we decided to hand over the responsibility to a 'fakeer' like Manohar Lal Khattar."

"I give credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for unearthing a diamond-like Manohar Lal Khattar for Haryana," he added.

Accusing previous state governments of corruption, Singh said: "In the past 15-20 years, each Chief Minister was indulged in corruption. The current Chief Minister has dedicated his life to serving the public of Haryana."

"Haryana which has reached the third slot in terms of ease of doing business will top the list if you vote for BJP again in the coming Assembly polls," he said.

Talking about agriculture in Haryana, Singh said that under Khattar's leadership, the government will double farmers' income by 2021 itself instead of 2022.

"The way the Chief Minister is working, by 2021 itself the income of farmers in Haryana will be doubled," he said.

The 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' will cover all 90-Assembly segments during the 22 days. It will culminate in Rohtak on September 6, followed by a mega 'Vijay Sankalp' rally on September 8.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address the rally.