Rumble in Congress over local body poll committees
All hell has broken loose in the state Congress unit, with Haryana Congress incharge Deepak Babaria forming four committees and trying to adjust anti-Bhupinder Singh Hooda camps to oversee the upcoming local body poll in the state on Tuesday.
Ambala MP Varun Chaudhary sent a letter in protest to Babaria, asking him to channelise his energies into forming the organisation first, “which is due for a long time”. He shared his letter, dated January 29, on X, claiming that his repeated requests to Babaria had fallen on deaf ears.
Chaudhary wrote, “It is a request in the painful voice of the workers of the Indian National Congress in Haryana, along with me, to form the organisation at the district and block levels and decide the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader according to the wishes of the INC MLAs.”
He pointed out that some of the names mentioned on the lists “are not even members of the party, some others are not active on the ground, and some have even contested the last Assembly elections against the party.”
For over 10 years, the Haryana Congress has failed to set up its district and block-level organisation, largely due to factionalism. Additionally, since the October Assembly results, the party has yet to name a CLP leader, which has led to a sense of ad-hocism in the party’s affairs.
Though Babaria released four lists on January 28, when contacted in relation to Chaudhary’s letter, he responded, “I am not well. You may talk to the co-incharges.”
When co-incharge Jitendra Baghel was contacted, he said, “We have adjusted factions of Selja, Randeep Surjewala and those belonging to former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda on the lists. There is objection to certain names which will be dropped. As far as CLP leader is concerned, the high command will take a call. Rest of allegations are without any basis.”
Sirsa MP Kumari Selja said, “The lists reflect continuation of system which is responsible for the party’s debacle in the Assembly elections. Has the incharge called any meeting to discuss the reasons of the defeat? Has any discussion taken place before releasing the lists?”
Meanwhile, Hisar MP Jai Prakash told 'The Tribune', “Varun Chaudhary’s letter is correct. The CLP leader should be declared as per the wishes of the MLAs. The party would soon name the leader.”
Asked about the four lists released by Babaria, he replied, “I would raise the issue concerned with it at the party platform.”
Leaders from the Hooda faction questioned how Babaria could appoint Satbir Bhana as co-convener for Kaithal (in the list of district city and rural conveners), and Satvinder Rana as co-convener for Bhiwani (in the list of district incharges), given that both had contested the October Assembly poll as Independents and damaged the prospects of official Congress candidates.
They also opposed Rajrani Poonam being named as district incharge of Ambala, claiming she didn’t support the official party candidate from Israna, Balbir Valmiki, and also Pradeep Zaildar, who is being named as co-in-charge of Sonepat, alleging that he sided with Kiran Choudhry when she left the party.
Hooda said he was not aware of Chaudhary’s letter. Regarding the release of the lists, he stated, “The list of district incharges and other lists are for the local body poll only. Babaria had telephoned me and some names would be dropped.”
