A day after ‘Parivartan Maharally’ of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda daggers are drawn in Haryana Congress with state party chief Ashok Tanwar dubbing it "an act of indiscipline".
Haryana Congress president Ashok Tanwar on Monday said that he will bring the matter to the notice of the party high command soon. Referring to the rally, he said that conspiracy is being made by some leaders to weaken the Congress party in the state. "The formation of 25-member committee by Hooda, to decide the future course of action regarding the formation of new party, was an illegal act. Hooda has no right as the party leader to constitute a committee. Indiscipline in the party will not be tolerated at any cost," he said, adding State in-charge of the party must take cognizance of this matter.
The State Congress Party chief stated that the announcements made by Hooda in his personal capacity are apparently an attempt to weaken the party. “The poll-related manifesto is a document of a party and not any individual. The announcements which were made in the rally are an attempt to weaken the party,” he maintained. “A man who had been chief minister of Haryana for 10 years is lashing out at the Congress which is apparently an act of indiscipline. Indiscipline should now end,” he said.
Tanwar said that normally party declares its manifesto and not an individual. Congress is He said Hooda was made Chief Minister by the party for 10 years. "One may be a big leader, but should remain disciplined in the party. It is a pressure tactic. Party will not tolerate it," he said, adding "people of the state are with the Congress Party. Wherever I go people support me. The Congress party will form the government in the state".
The former CM Hooda on August 18 had attacked the Congress party over its stand on the nullification of Article 370 and declared himself as the chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming state election with or without his party. During the rally at his home ground in Rohtak, Hooda also announced a 25-member committee, comprising 12 of the Congress’s 17 state legislators and 13 other leaders, to deliberate on his next move.
His sharp criticism of the Congress on that score triggered speculation whether he was on his way out of the party he served for more than four decades. The 71-year-old, however, had said he would not quit the party, but constitute a committee of 13 MLAs who would decide the future course of action.
“My party has lost its way a bit. It is not the old Congress any more. When it comes to issues of patriotism and self-respect, I will never compromise," Hooda had said.
In the Rohtak Maharally, Hooda had declared election manifesto, promising the people to raise old-age pension to Rs 5,000 per month; waive off farmers’ loans; restoration of pension scheme; provision of Rs2,000 per month to women in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category; free electricity up to 300 units to BPL families; recruitment of 50,000 sanitary workers and simplification of the GST; free travel for women on Haryana Roadways buses; providing wheat and rice at Rs 2 per kg for BPL families also having four Deputy Chief Ministers, including one from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Brahmin community, on coming to the power.