Haryana Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday said Union home minister Amit Shah should have addressed the state’s law and order situation during his visit to Haryana, alleging that the state had emerged as one of the worst performers on several crime-related indicators.

Addressing a press conference, Hooda said the Centre’s Social Progress Index had identified Haryana as the country’s most unsafe state. He also cited National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data to claim that Haryana figured among the leading states in cases of rape, murder, kidnapping, extortion and firing incidents.

“Instead of addressing these pressing issues, the BJP leaders engage in irrelevant rhetoric because, despite being in power for 12 years, the party has no significant achievements to showcase in Haryana,” the LoP said.

He claimed that around 80 criminal gangs were active in the state and said the government needed to introspect on the challenges facing Haryana, including crime, unemployment and its financial position. He also referred to the state’s rankings, saying Haryana stood 14th in fiscal health, 15th in debt accumulation and 11th in the Sustainable Development Goals index.

Hooda also criticised the BJP for holding protests against the Opposition, calling it unprecedented for a ruling party to take to the streets against its political opponents. In an apparent reference to the BJP’s campaign on saving democracy, he said the ruling party was now echoing the Opposition’s long-standing assertion that democracy was under threat.