Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today equated Khap Panchayats with organisations like NGO, saying that they are part of state's culture.
“Khap Panchayats are like NGO as we have Resident Welfare Associations... they are part of our culture,” Hooda said, while addressing media here after holding a cabinet meeting here today.
He was responding to Finance Minister P Chidambaram's recent statement calling Khap Panchayats a retrograde organisation, saying, “it is not part of India's culture”.
Asked about whether the interview of Swami Aseemanand done by Caravan magazine in Ambala jail was in accordance with the law, Hooda said jail authorities must have given requisite permission for the same.
“Necessary permission must have been given (for interview) by jail authorities... permission could have been given to advocate,” Hooda said in his reply.
Caravan magazine had claimed that its reporter had interviewed Aseemanand inside Ambala jail during visiting hours for over two years.
