‘SRK’ challenges Haryana ex-CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda on home turf

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, December 20

The trio comprising senior Congress leaders Selja Kumari, Randeep Surjewala and Kiran Choudhry — also referred to as the SRK group — announced the launch of a statewide “Congress Sandesh Yatra” from mid-January at a joint news conference here today.

‘CM, deputy CMs to be decided after poll’

Dismissing the projection of Hooda as the CM if the Congress came to power, the former Union minister, Selja Kumari, stated that the CM and deputy chief minister(s) — if any — would be finalised only after the elections

‘Party not family property’

On Hooda’s statement of making deputy CMs from different castes and communities, Selja Kumari remarked “the party was not anyone’s family property”

‘People’s voice being Gagged’

Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala claimed that the voice of people was being gagged in Parliament and the nation needed the INDIA alliance and the Congress to safeguard democracy

‘Farmers earning way less’

MLA Kiran Choudhry accused the BJP-JJP regime in Haryana of being anti-farmer. “They claimed that the farmers’ income would be doubled, but in reality, it has reduced to one-fourth,” she remarked

Factionalism in the party came to the fore yet again as two-time CM and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Bhupinder Singh Hooda was not invited to the news conference organised at his hometown Rohtak.

Asked whether Hooda would be invited for the yatra, Selja remarked that all Congress leaders were invited. However, launching a veiled attack on Hooda, Selja said certain Congress leaders had joined one hand with the BJP and extended the other to people, which would not do.

On Hooda’s statement of making deputy CMs from different castes and communities, the Congress leader remarked that the party was not anyone’s family property.

Dismissing the projection of Hooda as the CM if the Congress came to power, the former Union minister categorically stated that the CM and deputy chief minister(s) — if any — would be finalised only after the elections. “The supporters of all prominent leaders project them as chief ministerial candidates. In the Congress, a leader spearheads the party’s election campaign only if he/she is the sitting chief minister. If we are not in power in a given state, the party leadership decides whom to make the chief minister only after the elections,” she asserted.

In response to a query, Selja said given a choice, she would like to contest the election for the Haryana Vidhan Sabha this time, though the final decision would be taken by the party leadership.

Talking about the government, she stated that the Haryana CM had made nearly 1,700 announcements, of which only 70 had been executed.

Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala claimed that the voice of people was being gagged by the BJP government in Parliament and the nation needed the I.N.D.I.A. alliance and the Congress to safeguard democracy. “Suspending so many MPs of the Opposition from Parliament is unjustified and unprecedented in the country’s history. Moreover, instead of making a statement before Parliament, the Union Home Minister chose to speak about the security breach on a television channel event,” he said.

Congress MLA Kiran Choudhry accused the BJP-JJP regime in Haryana of being anti-farmer and having failed to check crime against women and unemployment. “They claimed that the farmers’ income would be doubled, but in reality, it has reduced to one-fourth,” she remarked.

Earlier, Bijender Majra, a block-level leader of the party’s farmer wing, argued with former state home minister Subhash Batra, who was the organiser of the joint news conference, over occupying a chair beside the senior leaders just before the beginning of the conference. The matter was, however, settled amicably.

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