BJP govt should apologise to people: Hooda

In the wake of indictment of top state officials by the Prakash Singh Committee on the Jat quota agitation, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today said the BJP government was using them as "scapegoats" to hide its own failure to control the situation.
He said the government should apologise for its "complete failure to control the situation", which resulted in loss of life and damage to property.
"Top-level officers, right up to Home Secretary and DGP have been indicted. Some Deputy Commissioners, DSPs and other officials too have been indicted. These departments are headed by Ministers of the Government. The overall responsibility lies with the Chief Minister," Hooda said.

The former two-time CM said the BJP government had made officers and officials "scapegoats", without accepting that it was their failure which caused the situation to go out of hand.
"So many lives were lost. Property on such large scale was damaged. People are still running around for compensation. Shouldn't the BJP government accept its failure and apologise to the people of Haryana," Hooda told PTI over phone when asked to comment on the Prakash Singh Committee report.
Hooda, who was in his hometown Rohtak today, said that he was yet to go through the full report.

"But what I can say is that the BJP government in the state is using its officers as shield to escape its own failure," he said.

He demanded a probe by a Supreme Court judge into the large-scale violence during the Jat quota agitation, which claimed 30 lives.
"Why this stir took a violent turn? What was the conspiracy? People need to know that. People of Haryana want to know the truth, which is why we again reiterate our demand for a probe by a Supreme Court judge in the large scale violence during the stir," he said.
He also alleged the Government had set up the Prakash Singh Committee on Jat stir violence only to "divert" public attention from its failure to control the situation.