Will vote as per conscience in RS poll: Kuldeep Bishnoi

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, June 3

The contest for Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana has hotted up with Congress MLA from Adampur Assembly segment Kuldeep Bishnoi continuing with his rebellious tone. He has said that he would vote according to his conscience rather than by listening to the voice of high command.

Interacting with mediapersons during his visit to pay obeisance to his late father and former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal on his death anniversary in home town Adampur today, he said that he would listen to his conscience while voting in the Rajya Sabha poll.

Unfortunate decision

If the decision to appoint the state party chief was taken under pressure, it was unfortunate and not good for the party. The Congress should reverse the decision to appoint the state party unit president. —Kuldeep Bishnoi, Congress MLA from adampur

While the Congress has herded most of his MLAs to Raipur in Chhattisgarh, Bishnoi has remained defiant and has not attended any official function of the Haryana Congress or the meeting of the Congress Legislative Party after the appointment of the new Haryana Congress president about a month ago.

When asked whether he would vote for the Congress candidate, he stated that he has not yet taken a decision in this regard and would cast his vote as per his choice. He, however, was quick to add that he has been a Congressman.

Commenting on the appointment of the new Haryana Congress president, he stated that there were expectations among Congress people that he (Kuldeep Bishnoi) is tipped to get the job. After the new state unit president was appointed — whether it was under pressure from former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda or otherwise — the Congress seems to be losing steam in Haryana.

He claimed that the recent rally of the Congress organised in Fatehabad was a weak rally in comparison to BJP and AAP rallies held in Haryana the same day.

He claimed that he was promised by responsible party leaders that he would be the face of Haryana Congress to reclaim the traditional vote bank of the party. “But if the decision to appoint the state party chief was taken under pressure, it was unfortunate and not good for the party,” he stated.

Denying that there was anything political in his recent meeting with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, he said that there was nothing wrong in meeting the CM for works in his segment.

He demanded that the Congress should reverse the decision to appoint the state party unit president. Otherwise, the party would face the consequences in the next Assembly poll.