Gurgaon/Rewari, August 20
It has become almost a ritual in the South Haryana region for the past some time. Congress stalwarts from the Ahirwal belt — Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh, Haryana Power Minister Capt Ajay Yadav, or both — fire a salvo against their own party’s Chief Minister, a bunch of regional MLAs owing allegiance to the Chief Minister’s camp retaliate and refute charges, ripples are created for a while and things are eventually back to square one.

The frequently staged political drama has been repeated yet again, though with a slightly greater intensity this time.

The latest bone of contention was the demand to upgrade Maharshi Dayanand University’s Indira Gandhi Post-graduate Regional Centre at Meerpur (Rewari) into a full-fedged university.

Talking to The Tribune today, Capt Yadav maintained the demand was to be placed before Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda at a rally slated to be held at Rewari on September 1.

“However, when I apprised Hooda of the demand, he instantly dismissed it, compelling me to call off the rally,” the minister maintained.

He asserted that he had never made any personal comments against the Chief Minister, nor stated that Hooda had objected to inviting Rao Inderjit at the Rewari rally, as reported by a section of the media.

Yadav categorically stated that there was no point in holding the rally as the Chief Minister had plainly dismissed the proposal to upgrade the post-graduate regional centre to a university, which was the main demand of the local residents.

“When there can be three to four universities in districts like Rohtak, Sonepat and Hisar, why shouldn’t Rewari, a centrally located town in South Haryana, have one?” he questioned, pointing out that the MDU’s regional centre at Rewari was established before the one at Sirsa, which had already been upgraded to a university. On being asked about his future move(s), the minister said he would meet the party high command and apprise them of the matter.

“I have already talked to All-India Congress Committee general secretary and in-charge of Haryana affairs BK Hari Prasad and sought a meeting with the party high command,” he added.

Meanwhile, six MLAs of South Haryana have refuted the reported allegations of discrimination against the southern part of the state levelled against the Chief Minister.

In a joint statement issued here today, they said some vested interests were trying to divide a small state like Haryana on grounds of regionalism.

The six MLAs — Haryana Health Minister Rao Narender Singh, Chief Parliamentary Secretaries Dharambir, Rao Dan Singh and Anita Yadav, MLA and former minister Rao Dharampal and MLA Aftab Ahmed, listed numerous developmental projects announced and carried out under Hooda’s regime.

Without naming Capt Yadav but clearly alluding to him, the MLAs have alleged that those talking about discrimination with this region have earlier thanked the Chief Minister for announcing a number of developmental projects for Rewari district at public meetings.

“Remaining in the government and still criticising it is incorrect and unethical,” it was insisted. 

(With inputs from Nawal Kishore Rastogi in Rewari)