Birender’s Sirsa visit put off amid Congress tussle

The proposed visit of former Union minister Birender Singh and former MP Brijendra Singh to Sirsa on August 9 has been postponed, but the Congress workers’ meeting at the party office will be held as per schedule, adding to the political tension within the district Congress unit. The two leaders were scheduled to attend the meeting called by district Congress president Santosh Beniwal, who has been mobilising workers across the district ahead of the programme.

The next date for the visit has not been finalised yet.

Beniwal said the meeting of party workers would be held as per schedule and she would chair it. She said invitations had been sent to local Congress leaders and workers from across the district were expected to attend. The selection of mandal presidents was also likely to be discussed during the meeting.

Sources said the visit was postponed following a conversation between Sirsa MP Kumari Selja and Birender Singh. The proposed visit had also reportedly caused resentment among the three Congress MLAs in the district.

Sirsa MLA Gokul Setia had earlier expressed his displeasure publicly, saying he did not interfere in anyone else’s constituency and would not tolerate anyone interfering in his area. He had even remarked that if someone came to Sirsa to do politics, he would go to Uchana and “create trouble” there.

Meanwhile, Udayveer Singh Poonia, convener of Brijendra Singh’s ‘Sadbhav Yatra’, said the Sirsa visit was postponed due to rain and limited space at the Congress Bhawan. He said a large programme would soon be organised in Sirsa to thank people who participated in the yatra. Similar programmes would also be held across the state.

The developments have highlighted the growing factionalism within the Sirsa Congress. A separate political group is reportedly emerging around Birender and Brijendra Singh. At the same time, differences between Beniwal and local MLAs have become more visible.

The Congress poster for the programme has also reportedly been changed. In the latest version, Birender Singh’s photograph has been placed after Selja’s.