Tanwar holds poll strategy meeting

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 11

Days after AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad’s snub on constituting an election panel, state Congress president Ashok Tanwar on Thursday organised a meeting of party leaders from across the state in Gurugram to plan the strategy for upcoming Assembly elections.

Though no other senior Congress leader or sitting MLA attended the meeting, over 100 other leaders, including some former MLAs, attended it.

Prominent among them were Sudesh Aggarwal, convener of the election management group constituted recently, former minister Vijender Kadiyan and former MLAs Tejbir Singh, Kulbir Benwal, Naresh Yadav, Radhey Sham Sharma and Subhash Choudhry.

Among others who attended the meeting were Devender Singh Babli, Jaipal Singh Lali, Kuldeep Gadrana, Neelam Aggarwal and Dharampal Kataria.

Sources said Tanwar tried to send across the message that he was still at the helm of affairs in the Congress in Haryana despite a snub from Azad, who had termed as invalid the election management committee constituted by him.

Tanwar, who had gone ahead with the first meeting of the panel on July 8 in defiance of Azad’s snub and had renamed the panel as a group, on Thursday held a bigger meeting in a bid to exhibit his strength.

Sources said Tanwar heard a number of Congress leaders who had come from across the state and told them to get ready for the upcoming Assembly poll.

The Congress leaders alleged that biggest hurdle being faced in their respective areas was that people were still confused as to who would lead the Congress in Haryana in the upcoming elections.

“We can give a tough fight to the BJP in the poll if the party leadership clears the air with respect to misgivings being spread by those opposed to Tanwar within the party,” said a leader.

Addressing party leaders, Tanwar said the party would contest the upcoming poll in an aggressive manner and would corner the BJP government on issues like unemployment, farm distress and poverty.

“The Congress is the only party fighting against communal politics of the BJP across the country. In Haryana, it will be straight contest between the BJP and Congress,” the state party president said.

Tanwar said the party would launch its poll campaign across the state next week by holding sit-ins and demonstrations against the “anti-people” policies of the BJP government.

He called upon Congress leaders to go among the people and expose the BJP government led by Manohar Lal Khattar for its “shortcomings”.