Congress MP Rao Inderjit Singh, who had demanded a probe into land deals of Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra in Haryana, on Monday resigned from the Congress.
Addressing a rally, Rao said he would not contest the next elections on the Congress ticket as he was upset with the ‘existing circumstances’ in the party. “I have been in the Congress for 35 years, but under the existing circumstances, I won’t contest elections from the Congress… And I also bid bye to Congress politics,” Singh said.
Rao alleged that the Bhupinder Singh Hooda Government did not functioned the way it ought to have. “I’m not in the business of prosecuting Robert Vadra.... If anybody has made money illegally, they should all be held accountable and if that includes Robert Vadra, he should be held accountable as well,” Singh, a known rival of Hooda said.
The Congress, however, appeared unconcerned over Rao Inderjit Singh’s decision to bid goodbye. “He is free to do that. There is no harm in that. The Congress is yet to decide the candidate from the seat....It will take an appropriate decision at an appropriate time,” said party spokesman PC Chacko.
Singh was removed from the Council of Ministers about two years back. Son of late Union Minister Rao Birendra Singh, he is third-term MP. He had been a four-time legislator in Haryana since 1977 and had also been a State minister.
Recently he was in the limelight when he demanded a fair probe into the land deals of Vadra in Gurgaon and punishment if he was guilty. He took the opportunity to attack Hooda, saying he had used the “back door” to become the Chief Minister when he himself was capable for the post.
“In 1980, Hooda and Chowdhary Birendra Singh came to me to stall the process of making Bhajan lal the Haryana PCC chief. I said, in return what would I get. Hooda responded that you will be our leader. And then he used back-door entry to become the Chief Minister,” said the MP.
Rao charged that there has been no development, no employment and no water for residents of Haryana, and challenged the incumbent CM to contest elections against him from the Gurgaon Assembly segment. He attacked Hooda for promoting his son and lok Sabha member Deepender Hooda and catering only to regions from where he and his supporters hail from.