New Delhi: Congress leader and former chief minister of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda is all set to hold a rally in the state on August 18 in what is being seen as a major show of strength. The rally of Mr Hooda, a two-term chief minister and Jat leader of considerable influence in more than 30 out of 90 Assembly seats in Haryana, is being seen as an ultimatum to the top brass about whose writ runs large in the state.
For the last five years, Congress in Haryana has been witnessing an internecine battle between Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar and the Hoodas with most of the MLAs siding with the Hoodas.
What has been the major concern of the party is that instead of fighting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Haryana Congress is at war with itself. In the recently concluded meeting of Haryana leaders by general secretary in-charge Ghulam Nabi Azad, several leaders almost came to blows. When the leaders complained about lack of local committees, Mr Tanwar reportedly asked them to shoot him. The situation went completely out of hand and the meeting came to an abrupt end. The Hoodas want a change in the state leadership and are displaying their hold in the state. The state unit chief has not been invited to the August 18 rally.
Mr Tanwar is seen to be close to the camp of former party chief Rahul Gandhi, which is why even after several issues he was never removed. With a new party president at the helm of affairs, several leaders who were earlier sidelined have come to life with extra vigour expecting a change at the state level. In the last couple of weeks, there has been a strong buzz that Mr Hooda might either join the BJP or float his own outfit.
On the other hand, the Congress is eager to wrest power from the BJP in the state. Insiders claim that the new party chief has already sought reports on the preparedness of the party in the upcoming Assembly polls. Mr Azad has also started an internal consultation and is also reaching out on the alliance issue. Presently, the Bahujan Samaj Party has tied up with one faction of the Indian National Lok Dal.
The question before the new leadership is whether to continue with the status quo or change the state unit. As elections are just two months away, the party will need to act fast or once again be ready for an imminent political disaster in the state.
