Felt 'ideologically choked' in BJP: Brijendra

Alleging that the BJP has never had an inclusive political ideology, Congress leader and former Hisar MP Brijendra Singh said the party's strategy is to isolate certain segments of society and then rally others against them.

In an interview with 'The Tribune' during his ongoing Sadbhav Yatra today, Singh, who was the BJP MP from Hisar in 2019, but joined the Congress just before the last Lok Sabha polls, claimed that he felt “ideologically choked” in the BJP.

He said the party's divisive approach was not limited to religion alone. “It’s not always about isolating Muslims. They have also tried to divide Haryanvi society along caste lines. They want to damage the 36 biradari bhaichara in rural areas by pushing a specific narrative. They try to create rifts between segments of society to gain political mileage,” he alleged.

Singh said the agenda gained traction in the last Assembly elections because the Congress neither had a strong organisational setup nor could it sense the BJP’s strategy in time.

A 1998-batch Haryana-cadre IAS officer and son of former Union minister Birender Singh, the former Hisar MP demanded a judicial inquiry into the suicides of senior IPS officer Y Puran Kumar and ASI Sandeep Lather, saying that the “institutional defence mechanism” of the police would not ensure justice.

Referring to Puran Kumar's death, Singh said such a senior officer felt so victimised within the system that he ended his life. “The incident reflects the atmosphere of hatred in Haryana. If a person at such a high position felt victimised, who will protect society, and how will the police maintain law and order?” he asked.

He further alleged that after the suicide of the ASI, attempts were made to create a divisive narrative. “It took eight days to register an FIR in the case of the IPS officer’s suicide, but an FIR was filed within a day in the ASI’s case, naming the family members of the deceased IPS officer. The government tried to give a particular colour to the incident,” he stated.

Demanding an inquiry by a retired Supreme Court judge or a sitting high court judge into both deaths, he said any police probe—whether by the Haryana Police, Chandigarh Police, or CBI—would not do justice, as it would become an exercise to protect the image of the police force.

Speaking about the IAS and IPS lobby in Haryana, Singh said there had always been competition for some posts. “Certain positions have traditionally been ex-cadre IAS posts, but in the past 10-12 years, a new trend has emerged where IPS officers are being appointed to top posts in departments like Transport, Sports, and Power,” he said.

Asked if such appointments caused heartburn among IAS officers, he replied, “IAS is a superior service; there should be no heartburn. We work within a political system that is above us. If the political establishment makes a decision, you can’t do much. If you can’t convince the Chief Minister or the Home Minister, it’s your fault.”

While he also criticised the BJP government for failing to provide jobs to the youth and neglecting employment issues, he admitted that the Opposition had failed to effectively counter the government on many fronts.

On factionalism within the Congress, he remarked, “Old habits die hard. But I hope this yatra will put an end to that.”