Crowds thronging in large numbers waiting to catch one glimpse of their leader, showering of flower petals...this is what Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's Jan Ashirwad Yatra looked like. The chief minister kicked off his statewide tour ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ in a bus from Panchkula’s Kalka on August 18.
He reached all the 90 assemblies of the state in a 22-day journey till September 8 and sought blessings from the people for the next five years. Khattar inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of 14 development projects costing about Rs 49 crore in Uchana Assembly constituency of district Jind.
India TV's Pankaj Bhargava was present during Khattar's Jan Ashirwad Yatra. He spoke on a range of issues during the interview.
"We are slowly drifting away from the casteist culture in many states of the country," Khattar said on being asked about state's acceptance on him being a non-Jat CM. People are showing faith in us, he added.
Khattar further cited BJP victories in elections on all levels. On Kumari Selja's appointment as Haryana Congress chief, he said it made no difference as to what card the Opposition plays.
Sharing his busy schedule during the yatra, Manohar Lal Khattar said: "I wake up at 6 am and sleep at 12 in the night. Whatever breaks I get during the day, I talk to people...eat if I want."