Former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda puts Congress on notice

Greatly impatient, senior Congress leader and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is pressuring the party leadership to expedite the process of elevating him as president of the Haryana Congress Committee (PCC).

The Jat leader has been at loggerheads with the party high command over his demand to replace incumbent PCC chief Ashok Tanwar. However, after getting an assurance from the All India Congress Committee general secretary for Haryana, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, Hooda decided to cool his heels. But the Congress under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership did not accept the idea of replacing his bête-noire Tanwar, who is known to be close to the former party president.

Making his discomfort with the state leadership public for the first time during his Parivartan Maha Rally in Rohtak on August 18, Hooda declared himself the chief ministerial candidate, without a party. However, he stopped short of quitting the Congress. 

Hardening his stance, Hooda even backed the Modi government's move to abrogate Article 370. “When the government does something right I always support it. Many of my colleagues opposed the Centre’s decision ... Our brothers are deployed as soldiers in Kashmir and hence, I support it.”

With greater stress, he said the Congress was no longer what it used to be and had lost its way (“rasta bhatak gayee”). While challenging his party’s stand on Article 370, he quoted Wasim Barelvi’s famous ghazal ‘usulon par jahan aanch aaye, vahan takrana zaruri hai. Jo zinda hai toh fir zinda nazar aana zaruri hai (When it’s about principles and traditions, we should fight for it. What’s alive, must look alive)’. 

He has signalled that if he was not given his desired role, he could chart his own course. Giving hints on that, he said he had come before the people after breaking free from all shackles and announced his so-called manifesto, which included 75 per cent reservation in jobs for Haryana residents in the private sector, Rs 5,000 as pension allowance, free bus travel for women, etc.

“If I am elected chief minister again, I would have four deputy chief ministers — a Brahmin, a Backward, a Dalit, and one from the other communities,” he said.

The Congress leader has made a 33-member committee, chaired by former state minister Harmohinder Singh Chatha, to decide the course of action.

“Through this rally, Hooda targeted the Khattar government and projected himself as the strongest opposition leader in the state. On the other hand, without inviting any central leaders, not even Ghulam Nabi Azad, he sent a message that he was the de facto chief of the party in the state,” said Dharmender Singh, a political analyst.

There are at least five factions in the Congress’ Haryana unit, which are led by Hooda, Tanwar, Randeep Surjewala, Kiran Choudhry, and Kuldeep Bishnoi. Hooda — a two-term chief minister, four-time MP, and four-time MLA — is the only mass leader among them.

The Congress has lost all the five major elections in Haryana since Tanwar took over as state unit chief in February 2014. The party drew a blank in the Lok Sabha election held this year. In view of the poor performance under Tanwar, Hooda is staking claim to his position by promising a turnaround. 

But Tanwar said: “Hoodaji should focus on uniting the party and help pave the way for the victory of the Congress in Haryana. The committee that he has formed is unjustifiable and goes against the practice in the Congress.”

He further said: “Hoodaji wants to replace me as state unit chief for the past five year. However, his efforts have remained futile.”

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