New Delhi: People of Haryana have witnessed a time when government priorities were skewed in favor of certain regions, leaving many areas neglected and forgotten. Under the Congress rule, favoritism was rampant, with some areas receiving disproportionate attention while others were left behind.Is Hooda bias for one regionDuring the tenure of Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda as Chief Minister, there was blatant favoritism towards a specific region. Hooda strategically directed the states resources to serve his political base, leaving the rest of the state to fend for itself. This selective approach did not take into account the welfare of the broader population but instead focused on benefiting a particular area.Hoodas administration opened the states treasury for a favored region while the majority of Haryanas residents were left underserved. The states resources, collected from the public for the welfare of all, were channeled into a limited region, neglecting the majority who desperately needed development and support.The Gurgaon EDC scandalOne of the most striking examples of this undemocratic and discriminatory approach was the mishandling of over ₹1,000 crore out of the ₹5,000 crore collected under External Development Charges (EDC) in Gurgaon. Despite collecting this significant amount from residents, the Hooda government admitted in court that they failed to utilize it for development and welfare activities.Regional bias in the model village schemeThe Congress governments bias extended to its model village scheme. Rohtak, Bhupinder Singh Hoodas home district, was the biggest beneficiary. Of the 65 villages named as model villages, 36% came from just two districts, with Rohtak receiving the lions share. Meanwhile, districts like Sirsa, Mahendragarh, and Panchkula were blatantly ignored.This favoritism towards Rohtak, while disregarding regions represented by political rivals, raised serious concerns. For instance, Sirsa, associated with the Chautala family, saw very little development, further fueling suspicion that the decision-making was politically motivated and not in the best interest of the states overall development.Unequal distribution of HUDA resourcesBetween 2004-05 and 2013-14, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) also showed clear favoritism in resource distribution. Districts that did not align with the Congress partys political interests—such as Rewari, Charkhi Dadri, Bhiwani, Mahendragarh, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, Kaithal, Sirsa, and Yamunanagar—were largely left out of development plans. As a result, visible progress in these areas was minimal at best.Broken promises and lost hopeFor the people living outside the favored regions, any hope for development or support from their own government became futile. The Congress administrations announcements rarely extended beyond certain areas, leaving much of the state in neglect. This systematic regionalism not only favored a particular community but also deprived the majority of the states population of the benefits of governance.During the Congress rule, the people of Haryana were left disappointed, as the government consistently overlooked their needs in favor of serving its own political interests.
