Twelve Haryana Congress MLAs, owing allegiance to former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday met party’s in-charge for Haryana, Ghulam Nabi Azad and demanded change in party state leadership.
With Lok Sabha polls nearing, the Congress MLAs met the Congress veteran in New Delhi and apprized him about the current scenario in the state party unit and need of restructuring ahead of elections.
Former Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was appointed as All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary incharge for Haryana during last week. The party state unit had been without an incharge following Kamal Nath’s appointment as MPCC chief in April last year.
Those who were present in the meeting included RS Kadian, Anand Singh Dangi (Meham), Kuldeep Sharma, Karan Singh Dalal, Lalit Nagar, Jai Tirth Dahiya, Krishan Hooda, Geeta Bhukkal, Jagbir Malik, Shakuntala Khatak, Udai Bhan and Jaiveer Singh.
While the former two-time Chief Minister Hooda was not present in the meeting, his supporters (MLAs) raised the issue of change in state leadership.
“The MLAs have apprized Ghulam Nabi Azad that various committees are not constituted in the state party unit and there is need of restructuring of organization,” said an MLA, who was present at the meeting.
He said that few MLAs also urged Ghulam Nabi Azad that former CM Hooda should be made state party president ahead of crucial Lok Sabha polls.
The MLAs also congratulated Ghulam Nabi Azad for his new responsibility related to Haryana party unit, he added.
Notably, Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar, a dalit leader, and Hooda, an upper caste Jat, do not see eye to eye and have been at loggerheads since 2014 polls. The former Chief Minister Hooda’s loyalists, who include 12 MLAs out of total 17 had been demanding a change in the state leadership since long. However, their demand has so far been ignored by the central party leadership.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, while talking to the mediapersons on Tuesday said that he is confident that the party will perform well in Haryana in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and assembly polls scheduled later this year.
About factionalism in state party unit, he claimed that there is no infighting and if there are any issues, it will be resolved.
When asked about Jind bypoll, he claimed that we are confident that the party candidate Randeep Surjewala will win the byoll.
The senior Congress leader also attacked the Manohar Lal Khattar Government and said that the performance of BJP Government in Haryana is worst among all the states. There is nothing as government in Haryana, he added.
On demand of change in state party leadership, Ghulam Nabi Azad said that at present, there are no deliberations ongoing in this regard.
The Congress is desperately looking to make a comeback in the state. The party could retain only one Lok Sabha seats out of 10 in Lok Sabha polls 2014. In assembly polls held later that year, the party was reduced to 15 seats, even losing the status of the main opposition party to the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in the state assembly.
The number of Congress MLAs had later increased to 17 after Kuldeep Bishnoi’s HJC’s merger in the party in 2016.
In the faction-ridden Haryana Congress, all senior leaders have been holding party functions separately.
While Bhupinder Singh Hooda, along with his 12 loyalists MLAs had last year began his rath yatra to connect with the people of all 90 constituencies, his detractor Ashok Tanwar had kicked off a cycle yatra in the state.
CLP Leader Kiran Choudhry and senior leader Randeep Surjewala had also been holding separate public meetings in the state.