Even as the party high command is finding it difficult to resolve bickering within the Punjab unit, infighting has intensified in the Haryana Congress where loyalists of former Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda have stepped up campaign for the removal of Kumari Selja from the post of state party president.
As in neighbouring Punjab, Congress in Haryana too is divided between two factions -- one led by Hooda and another by Kumari Selja, who was appointed state president as a consensus candidate to end the infighting.
Hooda loyalist MLAs meet Venugopal
Congress MLAs from Haryana, who owe their allegiance with Bhupinder Singh Hooda met AICC general secretary (organization) KC Venugopal and demanded a change of guard in Haryana to strengthen the party in the state.
Reports said that 20 Hooda loyalist MLAs met Venugopal in groups to apprise him about the prevailing situation in Haryana Congress. These MLAs, reports said, alleged that the party has become defunct due to the attitude of Kumari Selja. They demanded the removal of Kumari Selja from the post of party president to revive Congress in Haryana.
Reports said that before meeting Venugopal, these MLAs gathered at Hooda's residence in Delhi where a strategy was devised to intensify the 'Remove Selja' campaign.
Earlier on July 2, a group of MLAs from Haryana met Vivek Bansal, the party's in-charge of the state, and sough key role for Bhupinder Singh Hooda in the party.
Selja launches counteroffensive, meets Rahul Gandhi
To counter the campaign launched by her detractors in the party, Kumari Selja has launched a counteroffensive to 'expose' the dissidents.
Reports said that Kumari Selja, who is a former Union Minister, briefed Rahul Gandhi about the activities of 'dissidents' and demanded action against those who are involved in anti-party activities.
Reports said that the Haryana Congress chief pointed out that it is all due to anti-party activities of 'dissidents' that there is infighting in the Haryana Congress.
Selja was appointed Congress president to end factionalism
Succumbing before the pressure of Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his loyalists that the then Congress president Ashok Tanwar was removed and Congress high command had appointed 'consensus' candidate Kumari Selja as Haryana Congress president ahead of Assembly elections in the year 2019.
Selja, a Dalit face of Congress, was appointed as Haryana chief to bring stability to the state unit and unite all warring factions.
Hooda was part of the G-23 gathering at Jammu
Bhupinder Singh Hooda was present in a 'show of strength' rally of dissident Congress leaders held at Jammu in the month of February this year.
Senior Congress leaders and members of G23 group Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, Bhupinder Hooda, Manish Tewari, and Vivek Tankha had accompanied Ghulam Nabi Azad on his visit to Jammu.
Jammu's rally was the first collective, public appearance of the group that in August 2020, had written to the interim president Sonia Gandhi urging her to ensure full-time leadership.
