Don’t air grievances in public, Rahul Gandhi tells Haryana Congress leaders

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Chandigarh, June 26

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi today held a meeting with Haryana leaders in Delhi where they were told to avoid making public statements regarding any differences. Gandhi had reportedly told them not to issue statements against fellow leaders and organisation in media and no internal party matters be made public.

Former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, state Congress president Udai Bhan, and former Union ministers Kumari Selja and Birender Singh, along with newly elected MPs and party MLAs were present at the meeting.

Party general secretary KC Venugopal was also present. The meeting that went on for more than two-and-half hours was held in view of upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections in Haryana in September-October. The party is lacking organisation as there were no office-bearers at the district-level was discussed in the meeting.

On Kiran Choudhry, Gandhi said they shouldn’t have sympathy with those leaving the party in crisis. He said the party was in crisis for 10 years and those who hadn’t left were worthy. Choudhry, miffed over denial of ticket to her daughter Shruti, has recently left the Congress to join the BJP.

“It was discussed in the meeting that winnability should be the key for deciding candidates for the state polls,” said one of the Congress leaders present in the meeting.

Later, in a tweet, Kharge said, “The BJP has betrayed the farmers and youth of Haryana…BJP’s 10 years of rule has stopped the development of Haryana. Hundreds of recruitment exams have been rigged, farmers have been subjected to severe atrocities, lathis have been used, Dalits, Backward Classes have been tortured, women have been tortured and crime has increased.” He said, “Not even a single unit of electricity has been added to the power sector. And now Modi ji has made the failed Chief Minister of nine years the Power Minister of the country. The future of the brave patriotic soldiers of Haryana has been tampered with by the Agnipath scheme.”

Congress state incharge Deepak Babaria told mediapersons that both Kharge and Gandhi hailed the Lok Sabha results in the state where the party was ahead in 46 constituencies with a vote share of 47.61 per cent for the alliance. “Rahul Gandhi has asked leaders to work unitedly for the upcoming Vidhan Sabha polls and every worker should put his full might for the party,” said Babaria. The party had contested nine out of 10 seats in the state and registered victory on five.