New Delhi: The ongoing crisis within Haryana Congress seems to have intensified after more than 20 MLAs of Bhupinder Hooda camp reached Delhi to meet party's General Secretary in-charge KC Venugopal at AICC Headquarters to express their dissatisfaction with the leadership of Haryana Congress Chief Kumari Selja.
The annoyed MLAs from the Hooda camp are demanding a change in state leadership by replacing Selja. MLAs met Bhupinder Singh Hooda at his residence in Delhi, to discuss the matter before meeting Venugopal.
Talking to the media after their meeting with Venugopal, Congress MLA from Badli, Kuldeep Vats said, "We have expressed our demands before KC Venugopal. He assured us that MLAs won't be ignored while deciding upon DCC or PCC posts, and they all will be taken into confidence."
On the matter of change of guard, Vats said, "This will be decided by the party high command. We have expressed our views. But I must tell you, there is no crisis within Haryana Congress. We will perform well."
Read: Cong MLAs to meet KC Venugopal amid reshuffle exercise in party's Haryana unit
"We accept that there was a shortcoming on our part. In the last few years, we didn't have a proper organizational structure," Vats said.
Asked about the tiff with Kumari Selja, Vats said, "It is not true that we have any problem with Kumari Selja. This is a matter which party high command will act upon. We don't have any kind of role in it."
Bharat Bhushan Batra, MLA Rohtak, who was also part of the team that met with KC Venugopal, sang the same tune. "In the formation of DCC, Block and PCC, MLAs should also be consulted apart from the big leaders. Our concern was that there were no DCC or block units in Haryana. This is our shortcoming. On the matter of change of guard, we have expressed our views. Now it is up to the party high command to decide."
As per the sources, Haryana Congress MLAs are putting pressure on the party, seeking a 'strong leadership' for the party in the state, favouring a key role for Deependra Hooda, Congress MP and son of former Haryana CM Bhupinder Hooda.
Meanwhile, Haryana Congress MLA Kiran Choudhary had a solo meeting with KC Venugopal. Talking to the media after the meeting, Choudhary said that she didn't belong to any camp. Asked about her meeting with the Congress General Secretary in charge, she said that it was a "casual meeting."
"I'm a senior leader of the party. I used to come here regularly. He is the General Secretary in-charge of Congress. All of us have the right to talk to him," Kiran Choudhary said.
Also read: Haryana Congress MLAs meet Vivek Bansal, seek organisational changes
Last week, 19 MLAs of Hooda Camp also had a meeting with Haryana Congress in-charge Vivek Bansal who had later claimed that "all is well" within the party and party MLAs are satisfied with the meeting.
Kumari Selja also met KC Venugopal to apprise him about the current political situation in the state. Besides this, Haryana Congress leader and former state minister Ajay Singh had expressed solidarity with Selja during his meet with Bansal.
