BJP mulls key role for Kiran Choudhry, wants her to woo Haryana farmers

Sumedha Sharma

Gurugram, July 19

The BJP is likely to give former Congress leader Kiran Choudhry, who recently joined the saffron party, a major role ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections.

Senior BJP leaders in Delhi say the party is planning to use her experience to improve its equation with Haryana farmers. Choudhry is likely to be given the responsibility of reaching out to the farmers to negate the anti-BJP sentiment in the region.

Will deliver

The BJP has recognised my worth and work, which will be put to best use. Kiran Choudhry

Rubbishing talk about the saffron party neglecting the former Congress leader, a senior BJP leader said: “The Congress is creating a narrative that the BJP is not treating leaders coming from other parties well, which is not true. Choudhry is an influential leader with a clean image. Her public outreach ability is excellent. In fact, it is the Congress which failed to harness her potential. We have some major plans for her which will be revealed in a week.”

When contacted, Choudhry said, “I will not comment on anything. All I would like to say is that the BJP has acknowledged my worth and work, which will be put to best use.”

While joining the BJP, Choudhry had taken along around 1,500 core leaders and supporters of the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP), which had been founded by her late father-in-law Bansi Lal in 1991. The party merged with the Congress 20 years ago.

Sources say the BJP has urged these HVP workers to reach out to the farmers. A few of them may even be fielded by the party in the upcoming state Assembly elections.

Following a recent rally of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, several videos went viral which purportedly showed that he and other senior BJP leaders “ignored” Choudhry and didn’t even mention her name.

State Congress president Udai Bhan had said, “We knew it will happen. Rao Inderjit could not become one of them or get the same importance in the party even after 10 years. What can she expect? They are not democratic like the Congress. She will repent her decision (switching over the BJP).”

Congress leader and former Union Minister Birender Singh, who rejoined the Congress in April, also said the BJP “follows a use-and-throw policy and will do the same with Kiran Choudhry”.

In response, Choudhry had said, “I am relieved and happy to be in the BJP. This party gives you an opportunity to work and evaluates you accordingly…. The Haryana Congress is a fiefdom of Bhupinder Hooda and his son.”