The Congress kicked off its six-day long ‘Parivartan Yatra’ in Haryana on Tuesday, to reach out to the voters and send across a message that “all is well” in the faction-ridden state party unit.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is the Congress general secretary in charge of Haryana flagged off the yatra which will see all senior party leaders travelling in a bus together for electioneering in view of Lok Sabha polls.
On the first day of the yatra, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and state Congress chief Ashok Tanwar set aside their differences and were seen sitting together in the bus during ‘Parivartan Yatra’ which began from Gurugram.
Congress legislature party leader Kiran Choudhry, Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda, Rajya Sabha MP Selja Kumari, former minister Ajay Yadav, former assembly Speaker Kuldeep Sharma were among the leaders who were on the bus.
Kuldeep Bishnoi again gave a miss to the party’s event amid speculations that he is likely to join the BJP. Adampur MLA Bishnoi had last week stayed away from the meeting of coordination committee of the Congress and party’s workers meeting in New Delhi.
While the party leaders have kept mum on his absence from the events, Bishnoi had earlier denied the reports of joining the BJP.
On the other hand, Kuldeep’s elder brother and former Haryana deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan had last week attended party’s workers meeting in New Delhi and has been actively participating in various party events since past few months.
Bishnoi, the son of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal had merged his party HJC in the Congress in 2016. He had in the past served as Hisar MP and is seen as a frontrunner for a Congress’ ticket from the parliamentary seat.
His brother Chander Mohan has reportedly also staked his claim on party’s ticket from Hisar seat.
All India Congress Committee’s (AICC) communication wing in-charge Randeep Surjewala was also not present during the first day of the yatra due to other party’s engagements.
The ‘Parivartan Yatra’ halted at various points along the route that included Badshahpur (Gurugram), Dharuhera (Rewari), Kasola Chowk (Bawal) and Mandi Ateli (Mahendragarh) among other places addressing public gatherings and interacting with the media.
The yatra reached Narnual for a night halt on the first day. It will conclude at Palwal in Faridabad on Sunday.
Notably, the voting to 10 Lok Sabha seats of Haryana is scheduled to be held on May 12.
Party leaders attack BJP Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad appealed to the people to strengthen the Congress' hands and bring the grand old party to power at the Centre and in Haryana.
“People are fed up with the Modi and Khattar governments. They want 'parivartan' (change)," the leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said while addressing the public.
Azad dubbed Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who is a first-time MLA, as an "inexperienced" leader.
He also alleged that the BJP had destroyed the lives of the farmers, duped the youth in name of jobs, adding that the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme had become an empty slogan.
Hitting out at the Khattar regime, two-time former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the BJP had done nothing in the past four-and-a-half years.
He said, “All they did was event management about non-existing achievements. People are waiting for polls to throw out both the Modi government, which has failed on all fronts, and the non-performing Khattar dispensation.”
Pointing out to the loan-waivers in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh after the Congress came to power last year, Hooda said the party would implement the Swaminathan report in letter and spirit.
When the bus was passing through Gurugram, party state chief Ashok Tanwar raised the issue of the attack on a Muslim family in Bhondsi.
He claimed, “The attack was carried out by goons owing allegiance to the BJP. It is shocking that the victim family kept dialing the police control room number for 32 times, but the police failed to respond to their distress calls.”
Hooda also alleged that the Gurugram incident showed the real and scary face of the BJP's poor governance.