Three leaders who were associated with BJP and INLD in Haryana joined the Congress on Monday in the presence of state party chief Kumari Selja and state party affairs in-charge Vivek Bansal in New Delhi.
Those who joined the Congress included Haryana-based industrialist Ashok Goel Mangaliwala, former BJP leader Pawan Beniwal and former INLD leader Kanwaljit Singh.
Ashok Goel had sought BJP’s ticket from Hisar Lok Sabha in the last elections but could not get it while Pawan Beniwal had contested on Ellenabad assembly seat on a BJP’s ticket in 2014 and 2019 and had lost both times.
Beniwal is likely to be Congress’ candidate from Ellenabad assembly seat, where byelection is due to be held. Ahead of the 2014 assembly polls, Beniwal had quit INLD and joined BJP.
However, Beniwal also quit BJP in April this year as a mark of solidarity towards the farmers’ protest.
INLD’s Abhay Chautala had also resigned from the Ellenabad assembly seat in support of the ongoing farmers’ agitation.
Kanwaljit Singh is the son of former Member of Parliament Tara Singh, who was elected to 10th Lok Sabha from Kurukshetra. Kanwaljit, too, had been associated with INLD for long before quitting the party.
After welcoming the three leaders into partyfold, Vivek Bansal claimed that the winds are blowing in favour of the Congress and against the BJP in Haryana.
Kumari Selja said these leaders have quit the saffron party and come into the Congress fold due to the BJP's "anti-people policies".
"There are leaders who understand that the Congress is the only viable option to the BJP which has proved to be a failure in all spheres of governance in Haryana," she said.
She alleged that the BJP has become a paper leak government as many examination papers were leaked in the state.
Welcoming Goel, Beniwal and Singh in the Congress, Selja further said the BJP, both at the Centre and Haryana, is "anti-farmer and anti-labourer", and the Congress will work unitedly to oust this regime.