Ex-MP Brijendra urges Jai Prakash to exercise restraint in public remarks

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, June 23

A fresh round of tussle has begun between two leaders — newly elected MP from Hisar Jai Prakash and former BJP MP from Hisar Brijendra Singh, who has joined the Congress just before the Lok Sabha polls.

After Jai Prakash accused certain Congress workers, who are loyalists of Singh in Uchana Kalan Assembly segment, of working against him during the Lok Sabha elections, he urged the newly elected Hisar MP to exercise restraint on his language.

Questioned about allegations made by Jai Prakash yesterday, Singh said those one who win elections sometimes get excited and make certain remarks. “But a person should not say things which he or she has to retract later,” he said. Singh and his father, former Union Minister Birender Singh, had stayed away from the campaign for Jai Prakash during the Lok Sabha polls. Apparently, they were upset over the denial of ticket to Brijendra, as he was one of the aspirants for the Congress ticket from Hisar.

The former MP also expressed reservations on Jai Prakash’s statement that the males carried forward the family legacy while referring to Kiran Choudhry, who is the daughter-in-law of former CM Bansi Lal, and claimed to be the inheritor of Lal’s political legacy. Brijendra said legacy belongs to the one who is capable of carrying it forward and anyone — male or female — can do it.

“What could be a better example than former PM Indira Gandhi. The way she handled the legacy of the Nehru-Gandhi family and ran the country was evident,” he said.

The former MP maintained that Congress had the potential to win more than five seats in Haryana, but even winning five had shown the BJP its place in Haryana now.

He said the BJP has changed its CM by replacing Manohar Lal Khattar with Nayab Singh Saini. “But Saini will prove to be a scapegoat,” he said.

Supporters accuse prakash of spreading lies

Brijendra Singh’s supporters Sajjan Singh, Rajbir Singh and Prem Pahlawan — whom Jai Prakash had accused of betraying him in the Lok Sabha elections — accused the newly elected MP of falsely blaming them of sabotage. In a press conference, Sajjan, Rajbir and Prem who had been the former chairpersons of Market Committee in separate terms, alleged that Jai Prakash was spreading lies about them.