Congress high command grounds Hooda and Co’s flight to Tel Aviv

The decision to cull the size of the delegation came following the Congress high command raising questions over the visit after The Indian Express reported that the delegation,including Hooda and most of the senior staff from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO),had only two officials from the agriculture department. Most of those who were accommodated in the delegation were wither Hooda’s friends or close aides. The aim of the visit was to learn about modern agriculture practices and then employ the same here.

The plan to travel to Israel coming a day after the state government announced austerity measures,including banning officials from travelling business class and buying luxury items,invited a lot of flak,both from Hooda’s detractors within the Congress,and the Opposition from the outside. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) supremo and former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala submitted a memorandum to Governor Jagannath Pahadia questioning the team composition for the tour,which he alleged looked more like “a fun outing than a study tour to help the farmers or the agriculture in the state.”

Senior leaders within the party also questioned the timing of the tour. “The state is witnessing the unfolding of the ‘Apna Ghar’ sex scandal in Rohtak,which is chief minister’s home town. Every day more skeletons are tumbling out.

Had the entire CMO left for the tour,the state would have been rendered headless for more than a week,” a senior leader had told the party high command.

With the high command putting its foot down,among those who have now been forced to unpack their bags are Hooda,his friends former minister Venod Sharma,Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuleep Sharma,CM’s principal secretary Chhatar Singh,his additional secretary Krishan Kumar Khandelwal and his principal officer on special duty Mohinder Singh Chopra.

Names of the CM’s special senior secretary Shadi Lal Kapoor,media adviser Shiv Bharti and medical officer RS Dhillon has also been deleted from the list.