Hooda meeting Azad disheartens party rank and file: Selja writes to high command
Kumari Selja, a Congress Working Committee (CWC) member and former president of the party’s Haryana unit, is learnt to have lodged a complaint against Hooda, also the Leader of Opposition in the state, with the party high command and also demanded a show cause notice against him
Raising strong concerns over former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda meeting Ghulam Nabi Azad, who quit the party blaming its leadership, senior Congress leader Kumari Selja has said the move confuses and disheartens the party rank and file.
Selja, a Congress Working Committee (CWC) member and former president of the party’s Haryana unit, is learnt to have lodged a complaint against Hooda, also the Leader of Opposition in the state, with the party high command and also demanded a show cause notice against him.
Apart from Hooda, two other members of the G-23 Anand Sharma and Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday met Azad at his Delhi residence, days after the leader from Jammu and Kashmir resigned from the party, blaming its leadership.
Selja has raised the matter with some senior party leaders, including All India Congress Committee Haryana in-charge Vivek Bansal.
When asked for a comment, Selja told PTI over the phone on Thursday, “I have said that Mr Hooda going there and meeting Mr Azad when he has left the party, blamed the leadership and even made personal comments against our leaders, disheartens the party rank and file and also confuses them”.
“He (Azad) has chosen a path and left the party. But once the die is cast, the person has left the party and has already announced floating his own party, what is the point of him (Hooda’s) going to his Azad’s house,” she sought to know.
Selja, considered Hooda’s bete noire, is also learnt to have told the party high command that such a development was not acceptable even though the former Haryana chief minister had been given a free hand in running the affairs of the Congress’ state unit.
Hooda defends meeting Azad
Former Haryana chief minister Hooda said he and his colleagues in the Congress have suggested to former party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad to avoid saying things that create bitterness among the partymen.
Talking to reporters here, Hooda said the “Group of 23” (G-23) members met Azad at his residence and asked him about his resignation from the party, which he had never discussed with them.
“We told Azad that since he has decided to quit the party now after being in it for such a long time, he should not say things that create bitterness among the partymen,” the senior Congress leader told PTI.
“We had raised a demand for holding the organisational polls, which are now being held. The Congress president has agreed to our demand. Despite that Azad sahib decided to quit the party, but he had never discussed his resignation with us. We only asked him as to what happened that he had to take such a decision even after the demands were accepted,” Hooda told reporters. ENDS