Union Minister of Power Manohar Lal at the curtain raiser event in the run-up to the Bharat Electricity Summit (2026). (Credit: X/mlkhattar)

New Delhi:

Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said Jawaharlal Nehru became the country’s first prime minister by accident, prompting a sharp rebuke from Congress leader and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Hooda.

“In his (Mr Nehru) place, those who deserved the post were Sardar Vallabhai Patel and Dr BR Ambedkar,” MR Khattar said at a gathering in Haryana’s Rohtak.

Responding to the remark, Mr Hooda said the one who himself became an accidental prime minister should not be passing such comments.

VIDEO | “I want to say that Pandit JL Nehru became a prime minister by accident. In his place, someone who deserved it (to become India’s first PM) was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Dr BR Ambedkar,” says Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar (@mlkhattar), while addressing a gathering… pic.twitter.com/vJwwlEyGhr

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 12, 2025

Speaking at the event, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also spoke of the BJP’s role in honouring Dr Ambedkar’s legacy. He said, “The Constitution is our sacred text, and we must always remember the contribution of Dr Ambedkar in shaping it. We must reflect upon it over time. Dr Ambedkar also faced difficulties, for example, after his death, he was not given a place for cremation in Delhi. After the government came into power, the creation of the five holy places associated with Ambedkar’s name was established. There was a great show of respect for Dr Ambedkar during this tenure, which had never happened before.”

The statement came weeks after former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh died at the age of 92. Following his death, a row ensued over creating a memorial at the cremation site, as has been the practice for all former prime ministers.

VIDEO | “He himself became an accidental chief minister and that’s why he is talking like this,” says Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda (@BhupinderShooda) on Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s ‘JL Nehru became PM by accident’ remark.

(Full video available on PTI Videos -… pic.twitter.com/MrAZ9PBs7V

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 12, 2025

With the Assembly polls in Delhi set to be held on February 5, Mr Khattar expressed confidence in the BJP securing a victory. “This time, (Arvind) Kejriwal and his party will not be able to form the government in Delhi. BJP is gaining momentum and will perform well,” he had said on Friday.

The BJP in October last year registered a thumping victory in Haryana Assembly polls, as Nayab Singh Saini assumed the chief ministerial post. 

Manohar Lal Khattar. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday (December 10, 2024) said there has been a substantial increase in investments in the urban sector since 2014 and emphasised the Centre’s dedication to realising the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.

Addressing a press conference on achievements of his Ministry, the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister said investments have increased 16-fold, rising from approximately ₹1,78,053 crore between 2004 and 2014 to ₹28,52,527 crore since 2014.

“Urban development schemes have been expanded and implemented with greater speed and efficiency in the past six months, asserting that the rapid pace of urbanisation has made urban development a key pillar of India’s growth strategy,” he said.

The Minister said that under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) between 2004 and 2014, projects worth ₹66,837 crore were sanctioned, but the Modi government has sanctioned projects worth ₹2.73 lakh crore under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) since 2014.

Talking about urban housing and PMAY 2.0, Mr. Khattar said a new rental housing vertical has been introduced under the second phase of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), benefiting the migrant population.

Under this scheme, new initiatives such as provisional sanctions for around 7% of the planned one crore urban houses based on the population of States signing MoUs, have been made and it will ensure timely allocation and expediting the process.

“To streamline operations, sanctions to States will be finalised based on the demand received by March 31, 2025, providing clarity on yearly house allocations,” he said, adding that 88.32 lakh houses have competed under the PMAY 2.0.

Mr. Khattar said a revamped National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) will soon be launched, informed by the results of a pilot project currently under way in 25 cities.

Giving details about the PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi), the Union Minister said loan amounts of 13,422 crore have been disbursed under the scheme so far. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, since June 9, 2024, the government has released more than ₹1,123 crore.

Over the past six months since June 9, two major dumpsites in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad have been completely remediated, successfully addressing approximately 2.5 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste, Mr. Khattar added.

Karnal (Haryana):

Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar responded to speculation about Congress leader Kumari Selja joining the BJP, saying, “Only she can answer” regarding her intentions.

He suggested that after the treatment she has received from the Congress party, any self-respecting individual would contemplate their next steps.

Mr Khattar’s comments highlight the growing tension surrounding Kumari Selja’s position within Congress as the Haryana elections approach.

“When she will join the BJP, only she can answer this. The kind of behaviour that I have heard about her, the way Congress has treated her, after that any self-respecting person will definitely think about his next step,” Mr Khattar said.

Earlier on Saturday, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini took a dig at Congress over apparent internal differences and reports in sections of the media about its senior leader Kumari Selja not visible in the assembly poll campaign for a few days and alleged that the main opposition party “does not respect Dalits.”

He said Kumari Selja, who is an MP from Sirsa, is a leader, and if she wanted to become the Chief Minister, what crime has she committed.

He alleged that she has been insulted. “Congress is anti-Dalit, Congress does not respect Dalits. If any Dalit leader wants to move forward in Congress, Congress crushes that leader. Kumari Selja is not a small leader, she is a very big leader of Congress, a big leader of Dalits… She is a leader, if she wanted to become the Chief Minister, what crime did she commit? The Congress party is stuck in nepotism, they do not think beyond nepotism,” the Chief Minister said on speculation that Kumari Selja may join the BJP.

However, Congress candidate from Uchana Kalan assembly constituency Brijendra Singh dismissed any speculation of Kumari Selja leaving the party. He alleged that the BJP is “facing frustration” in Haryana elections.

“Kumari Selja is one of the very senior leaders, there is no point in saying such things about her. She will contribute fully to Congress in this election… BJP is a shop of lies,” Brijendra Singh said.

Kumari Selja, a former Union Minister, is seen to be bete noire of Congress leader and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. She was not present when the Congress released its seven guarantees for Haryana at a press conference at the AICC headquarters.

Former Haryana Chief Minister and BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar earlier did not rule out the possibility of senior leaders leaving Congress in run up to the Haryana polls.

Voting for the 90-member legislative assembly in Haryana will be held on October 5. Votes will be counted on October 8 along with that in Jammu and Kashmir.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Karnal:

Union Minister and BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday attacked the Congress, saying its “lies” will not work in the Haryana assembly polls, and exuded confidence that his party will form government in the state for the third consecutive time.

The elections in Haryana are due later this year.

“Congress party has become a factory of lies and rumours and their lies will not work in the assembly elections,” said Mr Khattar in a post on X.

आज करनाल प्रवास पर विधानसभा चुनाव की तैयारियों को लेकर कार्यकर्ताओं से चर्चा हुई। अत्यंत सहज, सरल और परिश्रमी कार्यकर्ता मोदी जी के लगातार तीसरी बार प्रधानमंत्री बनने से भरपूर उत्साह में हैं और विधानसभा चुनाव के लिये तैयार हैं।
काँग्रेस पार्टी झूठ और अफवाहों की फैक्टरी बन चुकी है… pic.twitter.com/jJCHetQ0A9

— Manohar Lal (@mlkhattar) July 6, 2024

Talking to reporters in Karnal after a meeting with BJP workers on preparations for the polls, Mr Khattar, a former Haryana chief minister, said the Congress “lies and rumours” will not work in the assembly elections.

He exuded confidence that the BJP will form the government for the third time in Haryana.

Opposition Congress has been attacking the BJP government in Haryana over several issues, including corruption, unemployment and law and order.

To a question, Karnal MP Khattar welcomed Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent announcement that the BJP will fight the upcoming state elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chandigarh:

Polling in the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies in Haryana and for the Karnal assembly by-poll will be held on Saturday that will decide the fate of 223 candidates, including big guns like former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Congress’ Kumari Selja.

A total of 223 candidates — 207 men and 16 women — are in the fray in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha polls and more than 2 crore people are eligible to vote in the state.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini is contesting the Karnal byelection.

Voting will be held from 7 am to 6 pm.

The BJP had won all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana in the 2019 general elections.

For the Lok Sabha elections, Union ministers Rao Inderjit Singh and Krishan Pal Gurjar, former chief minister Manohar Lal and Congress heavyweights Kumari Selja and Deepender Singh Hooda are among the candidates.

Khattar, the BJP candidate from Karnal, is facing Haryana Youth Congress president Divyanshu Budhiraja.

Haryana is witnessing a direct fight between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress on most seats. However, seats like Hisar are witnessing a multi-cornered contest.

From Hisar, Power Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala, an Independent MLA who joined the BJP ahead of the polls, is pitted against two members of the Chautala clan — JJP’s Naina Chautala and INLD’s Sunaina Chautala. Congress’ Jai Prakash is also in the fray.

The BJP has fielded industrialist and former Congress MP Naveen Jindal from Kurukshetra. He is facing AAP’s state unit chief Sushil Gupta and INLD’s Abhay Singh Chautala.

Union minister Inderjit Singh and Krishan Pal Gurjar are seeking re-election from Gurugram and Faridabad seats, respectively. The Congress has fielded its senior leader Raj Babbar from Gurugram.

Congress’ Kumari Selja and BJP’s Ashok Tanwar are contesting from Sirsa. In Rohtak, Deepender Singh Hooda is up against BJP’s Arvind Sharma.

During the high-pitched campaigning for the sixth phase, which ended on Thursday evening, BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari, and INDIA bloc leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Arvind Kejriwal made all-out efforts to garner support for candidates of their parties.

Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have also fielded their candidates in the Lok Sabha polls. JJP’s 10, BSP’s nine and INLD’s seven candidates are contesting the polls.

A few sitting MLAs are also in the fray, including INLD’s Kurukshetra candidate Abhay Singh Chautala. Congress’ sitting MLAs Varun Chaudhary and Rao Dan Singh are contesting from Ambala and Bhiwani-Mahendragarh seats, respectively.

BJP MLA Mohan Lal Badoli is contesting from Sonipat and JJP’s Naina Chautala from Hisar.

Saini, who is also the state BJP chief and the sitting Kurukshetra MP, was sworn in as the chief minister on March 12, replacing Khattar. He contesting the Karnal assembly bypoll.

There are nine candidates in the fray for the bypoll which was necessitated by Khattar’s resignation as MLA.

There are 2,00,76,768 registered voters in the state, including 94,23,956 women and 467 transgender voters, Haryana’s Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Agarwal said.

A total of 45,576 EVMs will be used in the state for the Lok Sabha elections and the assembly by-poll. Along with this, 24,039 control units and 26,040 VVPAT machines will be used, Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Agarwal said.

A total of 20,031 polling stations have been set up in Haryana, including 19,812 permanent and 219 auxiliaries. While 5,470 polling stations have been set up in urban areas, 14,342 have been set up in rural areas, he said.

As many as 99 polling stations will be operated entirely by women staff. Apart from this, 96 polling stations will be manned by youth employees and 71 by PwD (Persons with Disabilities) employees, he said.

Agarwal said polling parties in the state will depart for their respective polling stations on Friday.

Foolproof security arrangements have been made for the smooth conduct of the elections, said Director General of Police Shatrujeet Kapur.

More than 35,000 police personnel and 112 companies of paramilitary forces will be deployed to ensure the smooth conduct of elections, he said.

Additionally, more than 24,000 home guards will be strategically stationed throughout the region to maintain law and order, he said.

An official statement said that 300 checkpoints will be established at intra-state and inter-state borders.

“The state will have 10,343 polling locations with over 20,000 polling booths. Among these, 1,362 locations with 3,033 booths have been identified as critical and 51 booths as vulnerable, necessitating additional police presence,” it said.

The statement said 418 flying squads, 415 static surveillance teams, 34 quick response teams and 1,039 patrolling parties will also be deployed

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini cleared a floor test aimed at proving that BJP had majority status in the assembly even after breaking ties with Dushyant Chautala’s JJP.

“I come from a humble family background, no one is in politics in my family. I am just a party worker of the BJP and today I have been given such a big opportunity. I must say that this can be possible only in a party like the BJP,” Mr Saini said in the State Assembly.

“I have learnt everything from scratch from former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. I have learnt even the minutest things from him and how to maintain them,” he added.

Haryana witnessed a swift change of government over the past 48 hours, with senior BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar and the entire cabinet, which included three from the JJP, quitting Tuesday.

The proximate cause of the break-up of Mr Khattar’s government was the failure of the BJP-JJP alliance, which was formed after the 2019 Assembly election, in which the former emerged as the single-largest party but fell six seats short of an outright majority.

Mr Saini was chosen as the new chief minister after the surprise resignation.

Speaking in the assembly today, Mr Saini said, “Manohar Lal is a “saint” and he has given a lot to Haryana, strengthened it and it was his thinking that weaker sections and poor should get benefits at their doorsteps.”

Saini said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme in 2015 and added the BJP government in the state took it as a pledge to ensure success of the programme.

New Delhi/Gurugram:
As BJP broke up with its Haryana ally Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) yesterday, Manohar Lal Khattar was replaced as the Chief Minister with Nayab Saini. A floor test, – which will most likely be a routine procedure – is scheduled for 11 am.

Here are the top 10 updates on this big story

New Delhi:

The BJP’s Nayab Singh Saini, 54, was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Haryana at a rapidly-assembled ceremony in Chandigarh Tuesday evening, capping a frenetic few hours triggered by the resignation this morning of his predecessor, Manohar Lal Khattar, and the entire cabinet.

In a significant gesture, Mr Saini – seen as a confidante of the 69-year-old ML Khattar – bent to touch his feet twice, and was hugged in return. And, in addition to Mr Saini, the BJP’s JP Dalal, Moolchand Sharma, Banwari Lal, and Kanwar Pal Gurjar – all from the old cabinet – took oath as ministers.

In an equally significant move, outgoing Home Minister Anil Vij has been dropped.

The new government will be backed by six independent lawmakers and, potentially, five from the JJP of now ex-Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, who are set to cross but are not expected to get cabinet berths. The BJP has 41 MLAs in the 90-member House, in which the majority mark is set at 46.

Mr Khattar’s stepping down – and that of his ministers – followed a breakdown of the ruling BJP-JJP alliance over failed seat-sharing talks for the Lok Sabha election. However, the swapping of a chief minister has also been seen as another chapter in the BJP’s well-worn election playbook.

READ | Who Is Nayab Saini: 5 Facts On New Haryana Chief Minister

In the past, the party has changed out chief ministers, and reshuffled cabinets before Assembly elections to ward off the anti-incumbency factor and rejuvenate state units and leaders. This was the tactic before polls in Gujarat and Uttarakhand, which the party won, and Karnataka, which it lost.

The selection of Mr Saini – an influential Other Backward Classes leader – also represents the BJP’s focus on caste and OBC equations in each state before an election. The BJP made similar moves in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh (this was after it won the elections).

READ | Nayab Saini To Be New Haryana Chief Minister After ML Khattar Quits

In the first instance, it replaced four-time Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and, in the second, in Rajasthan, opted against bringing back former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

NDTV Explains | BJP’s 2024 Gameplan Behind Hattrick Of Heartland Surprises

Mr Khattar is a two-time Chief Minister and his term was to expire in October.

Another likely factor in picking Mr Saini to be the new Chief Minister is that his community accounts for an estimated eight per cent of the state population, with sizeable populations in the Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Ambala, Hisar and Rewari districts. Mr Saini is the Lok Sabha MP from Kurukshetra.

Haryana’s political landscape was thrown into flux this morning after Mr Khattar’s resignation, with a several rumours doing the rounds, including one that he will make his Lok Sabha election debut.

There was speculation Mr Khattar would be fielded either from Karnal (held by the BJP’s Sanjay Bhatia) or Mr Saini’s Kurukshetra seat. It now appears he will be given the ticket for the latter.

Speaking to reporters after the swearing-in, BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh – one of two senior leaders sent by the party’s HQ as observers – said, “He (Mr Khattar) is a senior leader and has experience… and had run a good government. Soon the party will give him a big responsibility.”

The BJP-JJP alliance in Haryana – formed after the 2019 Assembly election – seemed to be running smoothly till roadblocks over seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha poll. The JJP wanted two seats but the BJP would only give one; in 2019 the JJP contested and lost seven seats and the BJP won all 10.

The JJP has said it will contest all 10 seats on its own; the party will hold a rally in Hisar district, at which JJP boss Dushyant Chautala is expected to announce details of that campaign.

Immediately after Mr Saini was sworn in, Mr Chautala posted on X (formerly Twitter), thanking the people of Haryana for the “opportunity to serve as Deputy Chief Minister”.

“Your support and cooperation for the welfare of Haryana… has always energised me. With limited time, and limited numbers, we worked day and night to protect Haryana’s interests,” he said.

सभी हरियाणावासियों को मेरा नमस्कार।

आपने मुझे हरियाणा के उपमुख्यमंत्री के रूप में प्रदेश की सेवा करने का अवसर दिया इसको मैं अपना सौभाग्य मानता हूँ और हरियाणा के प्रत्येक व्यक्ति का दिल की ग़हराइयों से आभार प्रकट करता हूँ। हरियाणा के हित और जनता के कार्यों के लिए आपका समर्थन और…

— Dushyant Chautala (@Dchautala) March 12, 2024

READ | Uncle’s “Betrayal” Dig At Dushyant Chautala On BJP’s Haryana Revamp

Haryana may have only 10 Lok Sabha seats, but it is a Hindi heartland state and is therefore a crucial battleground for the BJP. This is particularly so since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party set itself a target of 370 Lok Sabha seats (on its own) and 400 with National Democratic Alliance members.

The Congress, meanwhile, has hit out at the BJP. Former state unit boss, Selja Kumari, slammed the party for “roaming all over the country making alliances” but failing to properly govern Haryana.

“They should explain why the alliance broke. You are roaming all over the country, making alliances with parties… but you have been in power in Haryana for five years and the people have seen your lack of governance. The only alternative is Congress,” she told news agency ANI.

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Chandigarh:
Hours after Manohar Lal Khattar’s resignation as Haryana Chief Minister, the BJP announced Nayab Singh Saini as its choice for the top post.

Here are 5 Facts About the New Haryana Chief Minister