Congress to probe Haryana infighting

The Congress high command has taken note of infighting in the party’s Haryana unit after two rival groups recently rained blows on each other at the concluding ceremony of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s Uttar Pradesh rally.

The scuffle was so severe that Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar had to be hospitalised.

The party has formed a one-man fact-finding committee under former Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who has been camping in Delhi to meet MLAs and find out the reasons behind the scuffle.

Some Congress MLAs openly blamed Mr Tanwar of bringing instability in the party. “Ashok Tanwar and Congress leaders do not listen to us and boast of their proximity with the high command to browbeat us,” Haryana MLA Geeta Bhukkal said. She is one of the 15 Congress MLAs in the 90-member Haryana assembly.

Trouble started in 2015 when the Haryana congress chief was booed at a rally by Congress workers from Haryana. But the high command did not try to nip that issue in the bud, Congress members said.

Mr Shinde is expected to submit his report in early November. Mr Gandhi also met several Haryana Congress leaders to find out the problem, while party general secretary in-charge Kamal Nath has been trying to ascertain the level of instability in the Haryana Congress.

According to some Congress members, Haryana is one state where the party will gain the maximum as the government is not doing well.

This opportunity, however, is being wasted due to infighting, they said. Sources said the high command will take a call on the party’s leadership issue in Haryana after Mr Shinde submits his report. The high command and Mr Shinde will also summon Mr Tanwar for questioning.