Jindal-Bishnoi bonhomie a surprise

Deepender Deswal
Tribune News Service
Hisar, December 6

Political compulsions have brought the political families of the Jindals and the Bishnois closer for the first time ever. This has led to new equations in the state Congress as the combine apparently has caused heartburns to the rival camp.

Former minister Savitri Jindal visited the Bhajan Lal’s residence, about five km from the Jindal’s house, on Wednesday to finalise the mayoral nominee. After a short while, when she posed along with Hansi MLA Renuka Bishnoi (the wife of Kuldeep Bishnoi) to announce Rekha Aren as their joint nominee, it was surprising for many within the Congress as well as for the Opposition parties.

Old-timers recall that the two families never jelled, politically or otherwise. When the Jindal patriarch, Om Prakash Jindal (late husband of Savitri Jindal), debuted in politics and joined the Haryana Vikas Party of Bansi Lal, he had a run-in with then Chief Minister Bhajan Lal on operating a truck union in the town.

Jindal had his own truck operators, while the truck union supported by Bhajan Lal had tried to gain monopoly in the transport business. It even led to a shootout in Hisar among supporters of the two leaders.

After the Wednesday’s meeting, Renuka was all praise for Savitri for building a consensus on the mayoral candidate. “We will both work for Aren’s victory,” she said.

Savitri, too, said Aren was their joint candidate.

Congress leader Satinder Singh, however, said: “Aren is not a Congress-backed nominee. Many state leaders had opposed state Congress chief Ashok Tanwar when he proposed to contest the elections on the party symbol.”

Political observers say the coming together of the Jindals and Bishnois should be seen in the light of next year’s Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.