Saini or Khattar? 2 suicides & photo-op trigger anew rumours of influence

When Union Minister and former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar and serving Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini shared a Diwali picture on social media, the underlying message was clearly directed at their detractors both within and outside the party.

The photo op came in the wake of the Opposition’s jibe against Saini that he was the “dummy CM” with real power resting with "de facto CM" Khattar. It also came in the backdrop of recent keen interest shown by Khattar in the state of affairs in Haryana which has set tongues wagging in the corridors of power in the tiny politically-significant state.

While the Opposition is attaching motives to Khattar’s renewed interest in Haryana in the wake of twin suicides — that of ADGP Y Puran Kumar and ASI Sandeep Kumar — and subsequent lax leadership of his ‘chela’ Nayab Singh Saini, the BJP high command is maintaining a studied silence. Even as the chorus of “dummy CM” vs “de facto CM” grows louder in Haryana, the party is keeping a watchful eye, well aware that rumour mills are working overtime and must be nipped in the bud before they can cause damage.

Two recent incidents — Khattar announcing a government job for ASI’s widow and the BJP government waiting for almost a week before it sent former DGP Shatrujeet Kapur on leave — has consolidated the view that the former CM still calls the shots in Haryana. It took a full week for Kapur to be replaced by OP Singh — who still only has “additional charge” of the top position — even though the widow of the deceased IPS officer had made his removal a public condition before she would consent to cremating her husband’s body. Kapur is considered close to Khattar.

“It is an open secret that ‘de facto CM’ Khattar is micro-managing the state government from New Delhi through his trusted aides and officers. The situation has come to such a pass that major decisions of the state government, such as government job for ASI’s widow, are being announced by former CM and not the incumbent CM,” alleged senior Congress leader and Nuh MLA Aftab Ahmed.

Over one-and-a-half years after Khattar’s exit from state politics, and his replacement with his protégé Saini, his larger-than-life image continues to haunt the BJP government. In Haryana, it is widely believed that the state government, especially the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), is being remote-controlled by Khattar through his trusted officers and political appointees.

Interestingly, Saini has never openly challenged his mentor’s authority though he made certain feeble attempts to emerge from the shadow of his “guru”. Pro-Saini observers in the BJP believe that the crisis which resulted from ADGP Puran Kumar’s suicide — which, in turn, led to the cancellation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s October 17 rally — was the right time for Saini to assert his authority especially when Khattar was out of the country. However, Saini squandered that opportunity with political parties cornering the BJP government on the issue of atrocities against Dalits. This has undoubtedly brought a lot of embarrassment for the saffron party.

It has been a tight-rope walk for Saini, who is keeping a ‘delicate balance’ between powerful bureaucrats, reportedly close to Khattar and certain senior party functionaries, who apparently do not see eye to eye with Khattar. Saini knows full well Khattar’s clout and his close ties with PM Modi which go back to 1990s when both worked in Haryana. For the time being, the Haryana CM is keeping his powder dry.