Rewari, September 23
Factionalism in the Haryana Congress come to the fore here today. The presence of All-Indian Congress Committee (AICC) member and in charge of party affairs in Haryana Nawal Kishore Sharma did deter party leaders from displaying their rivalry

HPCC Vice-President Shakuntala Bhagwari, HPCC General Secretary and Ateli MLA Rao Narender Singh and women’s wing state unit president and Sahlawas MLA Anita Yadav boycotted the public meeting at which Mr Sharma was the chief guest.The public meeting was organised by a Congress leader from Jatusana, Rao Inderjit Singh. The leaders who boycotted the public meeting were loyalists of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal.

They attended a parallel meeting organised about 100 metres from the venue of the public meeting at which Mr Sharma was the chief guest. The parallel meeting was organised by Mr Raghu Yadav, a non-Congressman. Loyalists, of Mr Bhajan Lal raised slogans in favour of their leader.

Congress MLA from Rewari and deputy leader of the party in the Assembly Capt Ajay Yadav and party MLA from Sohana Rao Dharm Pal skipped both meetings. Loyalists of Mr Bhajan Lal skipped the meeting attended by Mr Sharma because of their animosity with Rao Inderjit Singh.

Those who attended the meeting attended by Mr Sharma included Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former HPCC President Birender Singh, former Speaker H. Chatha and former Governor Chandrawati. Among the party MLAs present were Mr Jai Prakash, Mr Shadi Lal Batra, Mr Sher Singh, Mr Raghuvir Kadiyan and Rao Daan Singh.

Mr Sharma criticised the INLD government in Haryana and the NDA government at the Centre for their anti-people policies. He stressed that the Congress would come back in power in the state and at the Centre after the next elections.

Mr Hooda announced that if his party came to power, a university named after Rao Tula Ram, a hero of the 1857 war for Independence, would be set up in the Ahirwal belt. He said that he was not against setting up universities, but was against the idea of using those as a pretext to project someone.