“I am a first generation politician who is honored to be part of the first ever BJP led government in Haryana. I take the mandate that we received for good governance, transparency and removal of corruption very seriously and I am working hard to make that happen”, says Abhimanyu Singh Sindhu, the finance minister for the state of Haryana. In an event organized at the home of Sanjay Kaul, minister Sindhu shared the opportunities and challenges of ruling a state that has many disparities in different parts of the state.  Several members of the community were present when Sindhu held a free and frank discussion with the community.   Sindhu wore his good governance card with pride. 

How does one rid a state of corruption when it is so ingrained in the system? “ We identify points of corruption make macro changes that make big difference.  While Haryana has 6% of the world’s BPO operations, the state lagged behind significantly in IT infrastructure. So we worked to improve our systems. We ensured that 98% of our citizens had Adhar Cards. That helps us remove corruption. For example when we instituted Adhar card based provision of family pensions, we found over 227000 people were illegally getting the pension. The stoppage of that saved the government several hundred crores of rupees.  We are working in this way to make the government more transparent”

Sindhu is a first generation politician.   He has already experienced the harsh consequences of being in public office – an attack on his home.  It is also the first time that the BJP is in power in Haryana. “Unseating a government that was dynasty based politics obviously brings out the ire in the old power centers. The violence on Feb 19, which was billed as, Jat stir was not caste-based or related to the issue of reservation at all. We have clear evidence that the congress part used the youth of the state to spread unprecedented political and criminal violence in a well-planned manner. It is tragic that so much was lost. My own home was set on fire. I thank God that my family is safe”, says Sindhu.  â€œWe are now very aware and are on our guard”

Is reservation an issue India will have to contend for a long time? “ I do think that the conversations will continue beyond my lifetime. Caste based discriminations have existed for thousands of years and hence the issue will surely continue to be discussed for a few decades.” 

“We want to make Haryana a model state. Our GDP is already way above other states.  I believe strongly in improving economic opportunities through entrepreneurship.”

Sindhu is also very committed to supporting the veterans. “My service in the army is a very important part of my life. Indian Army is one of the most disciplined army in the world. I was pleased when Prime Minister Modi chose to address the ex-servicemen Rally as the first one after being declared candidate for prime minister. The BJP has kept our promises to the ex-servicemen by implementing one rank one pension. Also we are building a National War Memorial “

Sindhu’s can do,  no-nonsense attitude, his deep patriotic feeling for India and his love for Haryana really shone through. We look forward to seeing the progress of his state in the years to come.