Geetanjali Gayatri
Tribune News ServiceChandigarh, December 7
Missing Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan today surfaced in Delhi after one month with a new identity and a new companion. After converting to Islam, Chander Mohan presented himself as Chand Mohammad while his companion, Anuradha Bali, changed her name to Fiza Mohammad.
Even as the news came in, the Haryana government recommended his dismissal from the Cabinet to the Haryana Governor, Dr A.R. Kidwai, who accepted the same. Chander Mohan’s portfolio will now be looked after by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
While Chander Mohan continued to remain evasive, one of his legal advisers and witness to marriage, Rajiv Mahajan, confirmed that he had adopted Islam and changed his name to Chand Mohammad. He added that the former Deputy CM married former assistant advocate general Anuradha Bali, who was recently removed from the post by the government, in a court in Chandigarh.
In an interview to a television channel, Chander Mohan said he was not bothered about the political repercussions of this new alliance. “By marrying Fiza, I have not committed any crime. However, if it has any fallout on my political career, I am not perturbed. Posts come and go and if the party high command gives me a ticket, I will contest the next elections also. If it decides not to, I am not unduly concerned,” he stated. He added that he was on a pilgrimage for the past over a month and had never gone missing as was being reported.
This conversion and
marriage has come as a major political setback to former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal and his family. Chander Mohan’s younger brother Kuldeep Bishnoi is trying to establish himself independently after breaking away from the Congress.
He floated his own outfit, the Haryana Janhit Congress, just over a year ago. Shocked with the development, it is learnt that Bhajan Lal will make a statement on this tomorrow and is most likely to distance himself from his elder son.
In the Congress, too, despite there being speculation of his marriage, there is disbelief. The Chief Minister and senior party leaders chose to stay mum on the issue.
However, a spokesperson for the Chief Minister said he had divested Chander Mohan of the portfolio and dropped him from the Cabinet because the work of his department had been suffering. “Chander Mohan’s work had been suffering for the past 39 days because he was practically missing. The rest is all personal and we have nothing to say,” the spokesperson added.
