Facing dissidence from several quarters and leaders leaving the party questioning his style of functioning, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday hit out at his detractors saying some leaders in Congress are speaking against him to camouflage their own failures. Talking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting here, Hooda said some Congressmen in Haryana were speaking against him to camouflage their own failures.
He was asked about senior State leaders who have quit the party and some others who have voiced their Opposition against his style of functioning and “regional bias” in the matter of development and jobs. “One can very well understand that certain leaders in Haryana Congress had become vocal against me after ten years. It is for their vested interests and political opportunism,” he said. Hooda has faced criticism from his Cabinet colleagues Ajay Yadav and Kiran Choudhary, besides Rajya Sabha member Birender Singh and former Union Minister Kumari Selja.Certain senior leaders from Congress, including Rao Inderjit Singh, Dharambir and Avtar Singh Bhadana, have quit the party in the recent past, voicing their dissension against Hooda. Congress got its one of the worst drubbings in the recently held lok Sabha polls in the State when its tally fell from nine to one out of the total ten seats it contested. However, Hooda put a brave front and said, “The party is strong in the State.”To a query if it affects the party when senior leaders quit, Hooda said, “Everyone is important in the party.” On being asked whether his reported differences with Cabinet colleague Ajay Yadav are over, he said there were no differences between them. When asked that Yadav, who was placated by the party high command by reshuffling his portfolio after he recently resigned as the State Power Minister protesting “regional bias” by Hooda, is still unhappy with him, Hooda said, Yadav never complained about any regional bias in the matter of development of State to him.