Member of Parliament from Kurukshetra, Nayab Singh Saini, who was only recently elevated as the state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, was made the Chief Minister of Haryana on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Only 24 hours earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Gurugram inaugurating the Dwarka Expressway where he spoke highly of the bond that he shared with Manohar Lal Khattar, the outgoing and now ex-CM of Haryana. It was perhaps, thereby, a big shock for political pundits in the state.
For about the last ten years; it was this Modi-Manohar ‘double-engine’ government which made a compelling sell for the electorate. Even more, it was perhaps in the last nine months that CM Manohar Lal looked like he had finally come on his own.
Since 2014, Manohar Lal was faced with challenges from bureaucracy, political blocs in the state and an undercurrent of Opposition within the system. In his second term, beginning November 2019, he ran a government in alliance with Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janata Party. This naturally had some challenges. Chautala was given some powerful portfolios and many would argue that he milked that cow to the hilt. But even then, Manohar Lal led a strong-willed government. Everyone may not have been happy but it is tough to discount the work he did over the last 9+ years.
Around 9 am on Tuesday, a friend messaged that CM Manohar Lal is resigning. I was rushing for a meeting and paused to make two calls and one message to understand if this was true. Turned out, it was unfolding. However, I was told that he would be resigning around 12 and take oath again as the chief minister at around 4 PM with a new council of ministers. This, as I understood, was being done to sideline the Chautala-led party from the government and the alliance wherein Chautala was staking claim to two Parliamentary seats which the BJP was not particularly keen on.
Do note that Manohar Lal Khattar was now the most powerful BJP politician in the state. Although the organisation has its way of working and functioning. But, Manohar Lal had his trusted team in place which was ready to take and stand by any bold decisions. Thence, it seemed fine and possible for him to take oath again.
However, an hour later, news of a new chief ministerial face began making rounds. I had to step out of my meeting and make a few calls to get a sense of what was happening. In those few intervening minutes, CM Manohar Lal Khattar’s flashback happened in front of my eyes. Apart from the time, I have had the fortune of interacting and working for him; in split seconds his impact on Haryana came rushing.
Non-Haryanvis might not be able to relate but know that Haryana was notorious for favouritism and corruption in government jobs. While this may be true for other states; in Haryana, this phenomenon had taken a different level altogether. About 10 years ago, young people who had no political backing or enough reach would prefer not to sit for interviews because to them, every job was on sale and the quoted price was too high. Many staked in their lands, others would offer ‘Pagdi’.
It is this change that Manohar Lal Khattar brought into a crippled system. While there are many other changes that the ex-CM could be credited with; including mahila police stations, improved law and order, transparency in transfers, cleaner and better road connectivity, power and water supply in Haryana’s hinterlands; it is the hiring process that departs from everything done by previous chief ministers.
Now that the new chief minister has been sworn in, Manohar Lal has passed on the baton to his trusted man. I remember tweeting it when Nayab Singh Saini took over as the President of the party. Many were quick to sideline him not recognising the importance of a Saini leader in the party who is a trusted face of the chief minister and who knows the way BJP Haryana works. A few months later, it is the same man whom Manohar Lal Khattar has given his seat to.
Compare this with the Congress party in the state which is yet to bring its house in order. The CM stepped down, made way for the next one whom the former had mentored diligently. When the time came, without much of a public display of emotion, the government was handed over to the next one. That the organisation and government stay in order is a major achievement as the era of Manohar Lal as the Chief Minister of Haryana comes to a close.
Arjun Singh Kadian is an academic and policy professional based out of offices in Haryana and Delhi. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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