Haryana people should forget religious, communal differences and maintain harmony: CM Khattar

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Haryana should forget social, religious and communal differences, and maintain harmony, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Tuesday and asserted that «we consider the people of the entire state our family». Last month, clashes broke out in Haryana's Nuh district after a procession of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) was attacked by mobs, and it spread to adjoining areas, including Gurugram. Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the violence.

Addressing a gathering at a state-level Independence Day function here, the chief minister also expressed confidence that Haryana will surpass all other states in terms of development by 2047, according to a statement. «We consider the people of the entire state our family. The day we assumed the responsibility of 'Jan Sewa' in the year 2014, our aim became to protect the interests of every Haryanvi,» the chief minister said.

Equal development of all citizens and areas has been the priority, he said. Haryana has witnessed harmony, equal development and brotherhood along with significant transformation in people's lives in the last nine years in the spirit of 'Haryana Ek-Haryanvi Ek', the chief minister said. For this, it was necessary to remove hindrances in the path of development, he said.

Khattar also called upon the people of the state to forget all kinds of social, religious and communal differences, and maintain mutual harmony and brotherhood. On Independence Day, he also remembered those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the country. He said that «even after independence, our soldiers kept showcasing unparalleled examples of bravery during foreign intrusions in 1962, 1965, and 1971 as well during the Kargil War».