Cong must move beyond ‘Vyakti Vishesh’ to revive in Haryana, says Birender Singh

In a sharp attack on former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Birender Singh stated that for the revival of the party, it must break free from being centred around just one individual and return to being a party of the people.

In an interview with The Tribune, Birender Singh blamed the Congress' third consecutive defeat in the Haryana Assembly elections on the absence of a strong grassroots structure, leaving party workers disconnected and uncommitted.

The Congress shouldn't be a party controlled by one person. If it were a party of the people, the results would have been different.

"The Congress shouldn't mean that only one person wields all its power. Congress has been reduced to a party of a specific person. Had it been a party of the people, there would have been better results," said the veteran leader, who has 52 years of political experience.

The October 2024 Assembly elections saw the Congress winning 37 seats while the BJP secured 48. Singh argued that the party’s failure stemmed from infighting and weak leadership.

"People in large numbers applied for tickets before the polls. But with no proper organisation, many rebelled after being denied the ticket. The party paid the price," he said.

When asked if he was referring to Hooda, Singh was candid: "It is clear that Hooda has been the number one leader of Haryana Congress for the past 10-15 years. There’s nothing wrong with that. But if that ‘Vyakti Vishesh’ keeps the Congress to himself or controls it as long as he can, it will not yield good results."

Clarifying his stance, he said, "I am not saying he should give space to other leaders, but he should give space to the common people. The party’s workers need to be committed to the party, not just to its leaders."

Taking aim at Haryana Congress president Udai Bhan, Singh said he should have at least offered to resign after the party’s defeat, stating, "It would have elevated his stature. It appears he is sad, but not enough to take responsibility."

He also emphasised that the next Congress state president or Leader of Opposition should not be chosen based on caste but should be acceptable to all communities.

Commenting on allegations of EVM tampering, Singh said: "We have to make people understand that only a few democratic countries use EVMs. The USA and Germany still use ballot papers. Humans have devised EVMs, so humans can tamper with them too. For a healthy democracy, we should be allowed to vote by ballot papers."

On his son Brijendra Singh’s narrow loss from Uchana Kalan by just 32 votes, he said, "Congress rebels got backing from all corners… Congress defeated Congress. It’s not just about Brijendra Singh, but the party lost 15-20 seats because of rebels."

Singh also criticised the party’s internal surveys conducted before ticket distribution, stating: "When there is no organisation, how can you get the right feedback? A hired agency will give results as per your wish."

Dismissing the JJP and INLD as politically weak, he asserted that their regional aspirations have failed. However, he suggested that smaller parties should align with Congress to prevent vote fragmentation.

"People don’t want a division of votes… These smaller parties also know the cost of aligning with the BJP. The saffron party uses them and then dumps them," he added.