DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Haryana's ruling BJP shifted its state headquarters from Rohtak to Panchkula on Sunday which coincided with the party's 46th foundation day. Chief Minister Nayab Saini and state BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli took part in a "havan" organised to inaugurate the new headquarters -- the Panch Kamal complex.

Saini said the move to Panchkula, which is near Chandigarh -- the common capital of Punjab and Haryana -- will not only benefit the party workers but also the common people who come to meet various party leaders in the capital. The Haryana BJP's former headquarters at the Mangal Kamal complex in Rohtak will continue to function as a party office, he said.

Saini also laid the foundation stone for Atal Chowk and Atal Park, to be built at Mata Mansa Devi Complex at Sector-1 in Panchkula.

The Atal Chowk is being built at an estimated cost of Rs 16 lakh on the road from Mata Mansa Devi Complex to Sukhna Lake. With a diameter of 40 feet, the chowk will have fountains, lights and a lotus-shaped structure built from Dholpur stone.

The Atal Park will be built on 2.25 acres of land at a cost of Rs 15 crore and will be ready in about nine months, a statement said.

It also mentioned that a statue of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be installed in the middle of the park which will have 13 different types of gardens.

Saini and Badoli extended their warm greetings to party workers and the people of the state on the BJP's foundation day and on the occasion of Ram Navami. Addressing a gathering in the BJP's Panchkula office, the chief minister recalled the party's journey over the years and compared it to a banyan tree, providing shade to 140 crore people in the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking the country forward by giving impetus to the ideas and dreams of Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, Saini said.

Under the leadership of PM Modi, India became the fifth largest economic power in the world and by 2029, India will be among the world's top three economies, he said.

Saini acknowledged that it was due to the hard work of party workers that BJP formed government for the third time in a row both at the Centre and in Haryana. Answering reporters' questions, the chief minister said Congress MP from Hisar Jai Prakash will be invited on the occasion of the inauguration of Hisar Airport by Prime Minister Modi on April 14.

(editor@dailyworld.in)