Factionalism within the Hisar Congress unit became visible again during the first visit of Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) chief Rao Narender Singh to Hisar. He arrived to lead a protest against the ‘vote chori’ issue. Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda was also present.
A tussle broke out on the stage at Congress Bhawan between the presidents of the District Congress Committees (DCCs) of the rural and urban units. The dispute appeared to be over who would manage the stage proceedings.
When the state president reached the venue, DCC (Rural) chief Brij Lal Bahbalpuria was handling the stage. Suddenly, DCC (Urban) head Bajrang Garg tried to take the microphone. Bahbalpuria refused to hand over the microphone, saying he had permission to continue. Despite this, Garg made another attempt to grab the microphone. As the argument grew tense, former Congress candidate from Hansi, Rahul Makkar, stepped in and asked Garg to calm down. Garg then sat down on the stage.
The issue was later brought before Rao Narender Singh. After hearing the matter, he allowed Bahbalpuria to continue conducting the proceedings.
Bahbalpuria said as per protocol, the DCC (Rural) president is authorised to lead stage proceedings during district-level party events. “On being intervened by some persons, I brought the matter to the notice of the state Congress president. Already, I was authorised to hold the affairs by the state president yesterday,” he said.
However, Garg argued that Sonu Lankesh, the president of the District SC Cell, was actually handling the stage, and he was only trying to resolve a dispute between Lankesh and Bahbalpuria.
The clash between the two leaders is not new, as they belong to rival factions in the state Congress. Bahbalpuria is close to Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala, while Garg is aligned with former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. On October 31, both even held separate events on Indira Gandhi’s death anniversary.
Congress workers said they were disappointed that even after the high command made fresh appointments in the district after nearly ten years, internal divisions in the Hisar Congress unit continued.
Also Read: Red Fort blast: Al-Falah group chief sent to 13-day ED custody
Follow us
