The chorus for change of leadership in Haryana Congress is growing louder following Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as party national president.
The loyalists of two-time former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda have once again demanded ouster of state Congress chief Ashok Tanwar, who has been at loggerheads with the former since the state assembly polls in 2014.
Hooda loyalist, Jai Tirath Dahiya, MlA from Rai assembly constituency has written a letter to party chief Rahul Gandhi seeking removal of Tanwar from the party post and appointment of Hooda as state party president.
The former Chief Minister’s loyalists, who include 12 MlAs out of total 17 and senior party leaders in Haryana, had been demanding a change in the state leadership after the Congress’ dismal performance in the 2014 assembly polls. The demand has, however, been ignored by the Central party leadership so far.
“I along with other 11 MlAs and senior party leaders have been demanding that Bhupinder Singh Hooda should be appointed as Haryana Congress chief. I have written a letter to Congress president Rahul Gandhi demanding removal of Tanwar from the post of state party chief,” said MlA Jai Tirath while talking to The Pioneer.
He said, “I have also sought time from the party president to raise our demands and apprize him about the current scenario in the state Congress. If given opportunity, all 12 MlAs would go together to meet Rahul Gandhi to press for their demand of appointment of Hooda as Haryana Congress chief to strengthen the party in the state.”
Raising question on current state leadership, Jai Tirath said, “At present, the Congress is weak in Haryana under Tanwar’s leadership. There is a resentment against the ruling BJP Government in the state but the Congress party should be strengthened to encash the anti-BJP sentiments.”
In the past also, we have demanded removal of Tanwar from the state leadership but nothing has been done in this regard. It’s high time that the Central party leadership should make organisational changes in state party unit to ensure victory in 2019 assembly and parliamentary polls, said he.
Jai Tirath went on to say that in absence of strong leadership, Congress would face defeat in Haryana also, just like in Gujarat assembly polls.
This is not the first time that Hooda loyalists have spoken against Tanwar and openly demanded change in state leadership. MlAs including former Speaker Kuldeep Sharma, Karan Singh Dalal, Geeta Bhukkal among others have been openly airing their views about change in state party leadership after debacle in 2014.
The intense infighting, growing voices of dissent and delay in restructuring of Haryana Congress has come as a dampener for the process of revival of the party in the state.
Tanwar and Hooda have been at loggerheads since 2014 Haryana assembly polls in which the party was reduced to a pathetic 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 increased to 17 after Kuldeep Bishnoi’s HJC’s merger in the party last year.
The feud between Hooda and Tanwar factions had further escalated after the party workers clash in New Delhi last year where Tanwar had sustained injuries and blamed the former Chief Minister for planning the attack on him.
Since then, the Hooda faction has been trying to dislodge Tanwar from his post. In the past, several state MlAs had also met incharge of Haryana party affairs, Kamal Nath raising the issue of infighting in the state party unit and demanding removal of Tanwar.
Both Tanwar and Hooda factions have been holding separate party functions and meetings to raise various issues in Haryana. Recently, the party leaders owing allegiance to Hooda had also alleged “disappearance of membership forms submitted by them and bogus membership” during the organisational election process. The faction headed by Hooda had directly blamed Ashok Tanwar for irregularities in the poll process.
While ClP leader Kiran Choudhry and former Minister Capt Ajay Yadav are considered close to Tanwar, Shadi lal Batra and Phool Chand Mullana and state 12 MlAs are known supporters of Hooda. Randeep Surjewala, Kumari Selja and Kuldeep Bishnoi, however, have not been seen aligning with any of the two factions within the state Congress.
In its meeting in October, the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee had passed a resolution to authorize the then party president Sonia Gandhi to appoint next party chief of Haryana Congress unit.