(This story originally appeared in on Feb 21, 2022)

In his first comments after SC set aside the stay HC had granted on the state’s 75% domicile quota in the private sector, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has strongly justified it saying the law has been drafted carefully so that the industry is not impacted and at the same time locals are benefited. He spoke to TOI about the contentious law and other issues. Excerpts from the interview:



There has been industrialisation in Haryana and youth from neighbouring states expect employment. Besides, some experts have dubbed the new law regressive. Your comments.

Firstly, it is the state’s responsibility to provide employment opportunities for their people, more than any other agency. Secondly, there was a time when we used to invite industries and they would become a source of revenue for the state. But since GST has been rolled out, the industry is not a main source of revenue.

GST has made revenues consumption-based. The industrial sector still wants concessions related to land, tax benefits, cheap electricity. When industry is not providing revenue, the only benefit is employment generation. In the 75% quota, a business owner can decide the worker’s qualifications or salary or skills. This is their prerogative, not ours. On these prerogatives, if a Haryana domicile is not ready to work, then you can hire from outside as well. It is quite simple. You try to employ 75% people, consider the ones who apply from Haryana, if your quota is not being fulfilled, just inform the deputy commissioner and hire from outside. We have also slashed the salary bracket from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 30,000 per month. Only that salary bracket is under the regulation, not skilled workers who make more than that.

The Haryana model might be implemented in other states as well like we are already seeing in Andhra Pradesh. So has there been any dialogue between other chief ministers and you, as to what exactly will be the ramifications of this law?

I had spoken to SC advocates. I congratulated and thanked them for reversing the stay that had been put by the HC. They told me that the expedited and easy provisions in our legislation are unmatched by any other state’s legislation. No one is facing any difficulty in adjusting to our provisions. That’s why the SC gave its affirmation. The matter is still pending with the high court. . .

Did you discuss the law with start-up entrepreneurs and business owners? ›Of course. Several times. I had pointed out the same facts that I am pointing out to you. Ultimately, they agreed with the fact that industry doesn’t provide revenue, only employment. If industries don’t give employment, what use are they? We told them to build their offices here, give their services here, open warehouses, but take industries to far off place.

Your opponents say that Haryana has the most unemployment as per CMIE figures.

I don’t believe in them. It is a private agency and they can have their own interests. But the ground reality is different. In December, their figure was

34. 1% and in January, the figure was 24%. So are they saying that 10% of people in Haryana got employment within a month? We still say that there is 6-8% unemployment. And we are providing employment to these 6-8% too, on a rotation basis. Every month 3-4 lakh people get added.

How has your experience been in running an alliance government?

It is not a problem. Everyone works according to their party’s principles, but we haven’t faced any big difficulties. My alliance experience in the past has been different. We have been the smaller partner, but this time we are the bigger partner. I understand the difficulties well. Sometimes we have to explain or reason with our partners.

Your electoral performance was the reason you had to do form an alliance. Have you recovered the public’s trust enough to get the requisite seats next time?

We have run alliances in the Centre too. At the time, BJP was alone with the majority, but we still kept alliance partners. See, the more opinions and ideas we have, the better it is for the country and society. We say to the opposition too, why always blindly oppose, we can work together too. During election season, we should see limits are not crossed. Take Punjab, for instance. Kejriwal has gotten so desperate as to partner with secessionists. Kumar Vishwas has exposed him.