The protest staged by Haryana Congress leaders near the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam (HKRN) office in Panchkula on Wednesday nearly turned into a face-off between former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and former assembly speaker Kuldeep Sharma, once close associates who have since fallen out.
People close to Sharma said that Hooda allegedly told Thanesar MLA Ashok Arora, who was coordinating the protest, not to include Sharma among the speakers. Hooda, however, denied the allegation on Thursday.
Leaders close to the former speaker said Sharma overheard the exchange between Hooda and Arora. “Ashok Arora was conducting the stage. Hooda asked him as to who all would speak. To this, Arora said that former minister Birender Singh, Haryana Congress chief Rao Narender Singh, former speaker Kuldeep Sharma and Hooda would speak. Arora was allegedly told that Sharma should not be among the speakers,” said a person close to the former speaker. Party leaders said that Sharma eventually spoke at the protest after state Congress chief Rao Narender Singh intervened.
Hooda has dismissed the allegation. “In fact, all I had asked Ashok Arora was to check who wanted to speak at the protest demonstration. For instance, Panchkula MLA, Chander Mohan, said he did not want to speak. Kuldeep Sharma did not clearly hear what I said. I would say he got it wrong. At best, it was a communication gap,’’ Hooda said.
{{/usCountry}}Hooda has dismissed the allegation. “In fact, all I had asked Ashok Arora was to check who wanted to speak at the protest demonstration. For instance, Panchkula MLA, Chander Mohan, said he did not want to speak. Kuldeep Sharma did not clearly hear what I said. I would say he got it wrong. At best, it was a communication gap,’’ Hooda said.
{{/usCountry}}The episode comes against the backdrop of differences between the two leaders who were once considered close associates, and highlights the friction among senior leaders of the state unit.
Hooda and Sharma, once regarded as long-time friends, fell out in 2024 after Sharma’s son Chaitanya Pandit was denied a Congress ticket from Karnal Parliamentary constituency. Sharma was banking on Hooda’s support for his son’s electoral debut but felt let down after the party nominated Divyanshu Budhiraja.
Asked about Wednesday’s episode, Sharma said Hooda is a two-term chief minister and a very senior leader. “I have deepest regard for him, for his age and seniority. But at the same time, he should also respect others and recognise their existence,’’ Sharma said.