Put house in order or face defeat in MC poll: Batra to Cong leadership

Former state Home Minister and veteran Congress leader Subhash Batra has cautioned the party's national leadership that the Congress could face defeat in the upcoming elections of local bodies if an atmosphere of indecisiveness continued to prevail in the party.

Addressing a news conference in Rohtak on Tuesday, he maintained that the Congress had suffered defeat in the recent Assembly elections due to lack of party organisation in the state, allocation of ticket to leaders facing serious charges, anti-incumbency, and overconfidence of state leaders.

"The Congress had to pay a heavy price for the indecisiveness of the party leadership. The drubbing will continue if they do not mend their ways," he remarked.

In response to a query, the former minister stated that since a majority of Congress MLAs owed allegiance to the camp of a former CM, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, he (Hooda) should be made the CLP leader.

"But at the same time, the party will have to do a balancing act by making Sirsa MP Kumari Selja, or someone of her choice, the state president of the Congress," he said.

Batra sought a high-level inquiry into the allegation of 700 girls having gone missing from villages along the Haryana-Delhi borders during and after the farmers' agitation.

"Strictest possible action should be taken against those responsible for it. However, if the allegations levelled by BJP MP Ram Chander Jangra are found to be untrue, he should be unseated from the Rajya Sabha," asserted Batra.

He said he would write a letter to the top national authorities in this regard.