Haryana Diary: Bhupinder Hooda Junior ups the ante

Rohtak: As the elections draw nearer, former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s son and Congress Rajya Sabha member Deepender Hooda seems to have decided to up the ante against the BJP-JJP regime. Usually, it’s Hooda Senior who addresses the media and public meetings, but Deepender has also started donning both the hats of late. Unlike his father, who sticks to his studied stance while making statements, Deepender gets carried away at times. Curiously, while the Hooda Senior — a two-term CM — has sought another chance to lead the state, his son is also being projected as the next CM in public meetings.

Labour minister at receiving end

Hisar: Labour Minister Anoop Dhanak faced an awkward situation when a complainant levelled allegations of corruption in Dhanak’s own ministry during a meeting of the Grievances Committee held in Charkhi Dadri three days ago. The complainant alleged that a monthly bribe was being taken from crusher units in the mining zone in Charkhi Dadri by various officials, including officials of his own department. The matter snowballed into a heated debate between the minister and the complainant. However, the minister asked him to submit an affidavit in this regard and assured him that he would get an inquiry conducted in the matter.

Factionalism in BJP to the fore

Mahendragarh: Factionalism among local BJP leaders came to the fore yet again when Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Om Prakash Yadav and former Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma, interacting with the media in Narnaul town on Saturday, denied having any information about a ‘Jan Vishwas Rally’ in Dongra Ahir village on December 10. The rally was announced by Nangal Chaudhary MLA Abhay Singh Yadav in a press conference over a week ago. Interestingly, the two leaders also did not hesitate to raise a question about the rally, stating that the party had not yet taken any such decision.

Appointment fuels speculation

Kurukshetra: The appointment of Kurukshetra MP Nayab Singh Saini as the new state chief of the BJP added fuel to the speculation that he might not contest the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 from Kurukshetra. He himself dodged the question over contesting the elections as he said the decision would be taken by the party high command. Many hopefuls have already started seeking the party’s ticket for 2024 polls. In the 2019 elections, Nayab Saini, a confidante of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, had defeated his nearest rival, Nirmal Singh, by an impressive margin of over 3.84 lakh votes.

Contributed by Deepender Deswal, Ravinder Saini, Nitish Sharma and Sunit Dhawan