Factionalism clouds Cong reorganisation drive

Facing three consecutive defeats in Assembly elections, the Congress’ ongoing organisational revamp in Haryana has sparked both enthusiasm among grassroots workers and discontent among senior leaders, especially over the composition of committees tasked with recommending district unit chiefs.

Although many within the party have welcomed the move as a step towards internal democracy, some leaders have flagged bias in the constitution of the All India Congress Committee (AICC)-approved committees. These panels, comprising Central and state observers, are currently touring districts to collect applications and feedback for the appointment of new district presidents.

The committees will accept applications until June 20, after which deliberations will begin to recommend panels of six names per district. These will be sent to the AICC, which will trim each panel to three names, to be placed before the Central leadership.

However, multiple leaders have raised concerns that the process is tilted in favour of the Bhupinder Singh Hooda camp, as names recommended by Udai Bhan, the current Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) chief, also allegedly reflect Hooda’s influence. “Though the AICC constituted the committees, the proportion gets automatically skewed since the Hooda faction got representation twice over — once through Hooda and again through Udai Bhan,” said a senior leader on condition of anonymity.

There is also a strong demand for replacing the current HPCC president before finalising any district-level panels. “The Congress failed to perform in the last Assembly elections held in October under the current state chief, who himself lost. He should not be part of this process. A new state chief must be appointed before the panels are discussed,” another senior leader insisted.

Further complicating matters are reports of undue influence by some leaders pushing for one-line resolutions in favour of particular candidates, bypassing the interview and review process.

BK Hariprasad, AICC general secretary incharge of Haryana, confirmed that feedback and applications will guide the recommendations. “The state unit is not directly involved in this reorganisation. Committees have been constituted after incorporating names from senior leaders. The panel formation, based on candidate interviews and feedback, will be completed by June 30,” he said.

HPCC president Udai Bhan, however, distanced himself from the exercise. “I am not involved at any stage of the meetings. Our role was limited to suggesting observer names. Why should there be resentment? Everyone, including other senior leaders, contributed to the list,” he said.

Sirsa MP Kumari Selja welcomed the inclusiveness of the exercise. “The involvement of leaders across all levels is a good initiative. We haven’t had an organisational structure for years. This is energising the workers,” she said.

Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda also lauded the effort. “Though I am not directly involved, it’s encouraging to see Rahul Gandhi taking personal interest. Haryana is the third state, after Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, to undergo such a revamp under his leadership,” he stated.