Congress trying to forge unity in Haryana team

Bishnoi recently met chief minister ML Khattar and got a favour from him in granting Gram Panchayat status for his native place Adampur in Hisar district. The meeting on May 19, triggered speculation that Bishnoi might be moving close to the saffron party, writes Amit Agnihotri.

New Delhi:The Congress is trying to forge unity in the Haryana unit where the party announced a new team recently. According to sources, AICC in charge of Haryana Vivek Bansal spoke to a miffed Kuldeep Bishnoi to convince him that the party needed to put up a united front against the BJP-JJP government. The revamp had left Kuldeep Bishnoi high and dry as he was left out in the new team.

Bishnoi recently met chief minister ML Khattar and got a favour from him in granting Gram Panchayat status for his native place Adampur in Hisar district. The meeting on May 19, triggered speculation that Bishnoi might be moving close to the saffron party. On May 21, the death anniversary of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, Bishnoi tweeted pictures of his father and former chief minister late Bhajan Lal with Rajiv Gandhi to showcase the ties between the two leaders.

“Like late Indira ji, late Rajiv ji too had an eye for talent and took decisions on merits. That is why Congress was an undefeated force. When any party takes decisions under pressure or money influence, it is certain to sink. We miss the eternal Rajivji, the architect of modern India,” Bishnoi tweeted on Saturday. “Be kind but don’t let people play with your emotions,” he said.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had named Uday Bhan as the new state chief in place of Kumari Selja.

With former chief minister BS Hooda as Congress Legislature Party leader and Uday Bhan as Pradesh Congress Committee chief, the duo represents a formidable combination of Jat and non-Jat leadership, which has been a tried and tested formula of the grand old party in Haryana for decades. Before Bhan, Dalit leader Kumari Selja was the state unit chief but she and Hooda could not work as a team because of factional fights.

Bishnoi was also being considered for some key appointments in the state unit as he belongs to the non-Jat segment. He had become hopeful as he had been called by AICC general secretary in-charge Organization KC Venugopal days before the new team was announced.

Interestingly, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala too had backed Bishnoi recently saying he would have been a good state unit chief. Surjewala had then expressed the hope that the party would consider giving some important post to Bishnoi in the state. “Don’t blame distractions, improve your focus,” Bishnoi tweeted on Monday morning, indicating the mood in his camp.

His supporters point out that the party also needs to focus on the Punjabi Hindus, Baniya, Brahmin, Rajput, Saini and Khati votes in the state to take on the BJP and claim that only Bishnoi can bring them back.

Read: Sonia names Sarat Pattnayak as new Odisha Congress chief