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After the debacle in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the ruling Congress in Haryana might suffer another jolt. Its senior leader and Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Birender Singh, who has openly revolted against the chief minister, might quit the party and join the BJP.
Singh had met BJP chief Amit Shah in Delhi two days ago. This had fuelled speculations that he may switch over to the saffron camp. On Thursday he said he would attend a rally at Kaithal on August 18. Shah, too, has been invited to the rally.
On he would join BJP at the rally, Singh, a known detractor of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, said: “I will make a formal announcement regarding my next step later.” On if he would join the BJP at all, he said, “That is your interpretation.” He declined to comment further.
Singh said the Kaithal rally was being organised by Hisar-based social organisation Yuva Shakti. Singh said he has been tasked to ensure there would be a massive crowd at the rally. He said he would spare no efforts to ensure that.
Singh met his supporters on Thursday at his home turf of Uchana in Jind. “I wanted to seek their feedback. I am at a crossroads (of my political career). A vast majority of them said that I should quit Congress and join the BJP,” he said.
Singh’s supporters reportedly also told him he had not got his due in the Congress and they would back him if he joined the BJP.
The Haryana Congress unit has been facing an exodus of leaders. Some have joined the BJP. Prominent Congress leaders who have joined the saffron party include Rao Inderjit Singh, who had been vocal against Hooda. Rao, then a Congress MP from Gurgaon, severed his four-decade ties with the Congress and contested as a BJP nominee from Gurgaon and retained his seat. He is now a minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Dharambir, a senior leader from Bhiwani, joined the BJP and is now a MP from the Bhiwani-Mahendergarh seat. Former Union Minister Venod Sharma severed his four-decade-old ties with the Congress to float the Jan Chetna Party. Ramesh Kaushik had won the Sonepat Lok Sabha constituency on a BJP ticket, after quitting the Congress.
