I’m a human bomb, will fight to finish: Haryana Cong ex-chief Tanwar

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 2

Upset since he was removed as Haryana Congress president right on the eve of state polls, Ashok Tanwar on Wednesday levelled serious allegations of sale of tickets in the state.

“Sohna Assembly ticket has been sold,” he told supporters gathered outside AICC office in large numbers to protest denial of tickets to his supporters.

Tanwar arrived outside party headquarters here a while ago after letting his supporters build up since morning when the entire Congress leadership, including Sonia Gandhi, was at Rajghat to mark the 150^th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

“Sonia ji has always fought against injustice. Today we want justice from her,” said Tanwar who alleged that his list of 15 candidates was rejected by “people who want to destroy the Congress”.

Tanwar was accusing state chief Kumari Selja and CLP leader BS Hooda of denial of tickets to “people who worked hard on the ground”.

Tanwar added that he and his supporters would “fight against anti-Congress forces”.

Saying that the crowd outside Congress headquarters and Sonia Gandhi’s residence had people who were beaten up earlier (read by Hooda supporters), Tanwar alleged, “Tickets have a price and Sohna Assembly ticket has been sold in Rs 5 crore.”

Acute factionalism played out around the Congress office all day. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on the party leaders who said Tanwar was trying to create roadblocks for the first list of candidates the party wants to release today.

As Tanwar addressed supporters, Haryana screening committee sat in a meeting to finalise tickets. “Even during MC elections in the state, Rahul Gandhi asked everyone whether we should fight on a symbol. Majority 85 per cent workers said “yes” and yet we did not fight on a symbol,” Tanwar said, adding that he was invited to join the BJP six times by he didn’t go nor will he go.

“I am a human bomb. I will fight to the finish. I endured beatings once because that was my leader Rahul Gandhi’s event,” Tanwar said.

AICC sources, meanwhile, said Tanwar never participated in the candidate selection process and gave his candidate preferences just on the eve of meeting of the central election committee  chaired by Sonia Gandhi.

“You don’t participate in the process and try such arm-twisting tactics. Well it doesn’t work that way,” a senior Haryana Congress leader said.