Day after first list, Haryana BJP in revolt: Two ministers step down, senior leaders quit

The BJP leaders who have rebelled are state Energy Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala and Minister of State for Social Justice Bishamber Singh Balmiki who have resigned from the government; BJP OBC Morcha state president Karan Dev Kamboj, a former minister, who, like Napa, has quit the party; and former state ministers Kavita Jain and Savitri Jindal. While Jain has given the party a two-day ultimatum to field her from Sonipat, Jindal, who is the mother of BJP’s Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal and one of India’s richest women, has threatened to contest from Hisar where the party has renominated sitting MLA and minister Dr Kamal Gupta.

“The party high command has finalised the candidates after giving it a lot of thought. They are our senior party leaders and senior workers. We shall talk to them. Laxman Napa ji, Karan Dev Kamboj were our MLAs. We shall talk to them. In Haryana, all our leaders, all our party workers shall work together to ensure that the BJP forms the government for the third time,” said Chief Minister Saini, who visited Kamboj’s home in the evening.

The BJP’s Haryana in-charge Biplab Deb, the former Tripura CM, told reporters in Rohtak that the party had kept all factors, including “community balance”, in mind while finalising the list. “In the first list of 67, 14 are from the Jatav, Balmiki, Dhanak, Bishnoi, Sikh, Jat, Yadav, Brahmin, and Vaishya communities. The seats of nine MLAs, which include three ministers also, have been changed. This has been done only to ensure community combinations. As part of established equations, a few former MLAs have also been included in this list. A lot of synergy needs to be established in politics,” Deb said.

Earlier in the day, Ranjit Singh, the brother of former CM and INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala, resigned as the Energy Minster and said he would contest from Rania instead of Dabwali, another Assembly segment in the Sirsa Lok Sabha seat. The BJP wanted Ranjit Singh to contest from Dabwali and has fielded Shishpal Kamboj from Rania. After meeting his supporters on Thursday, Ranjit Singh said, “I will hold another meeting of my supporters on September 8 to decide the date when I shall be filing my nomination.”

During the day, Balmiki also convened a meeting of his supporters at his home. The BJP ignored him from his current seat Bawani Khera, an SC-reserved constituency in Bhiwani district, and instead nominated Kapur Valmiki.

Savitri Jindal who wanted the ticket from Hisar said, “People of Hisar who are my family have been asking me to contest elections. If they give me this kind of respect, I will have to honour their decision. Once I say something, I never back out.” Asked if there was a possibility of returning to the Congress, Jindal, who joined the BJP along with Naveen Jindal ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, said, “Time will tell. I have always had good relations with Bhupinder Singh Hooda and he is the one from whom I learnt politics. He is like my elder brother. When I entered politics, I did not know much. I learnt a lot from him.”

Napa, who joined the Congress, was overlooked, with the BJP fielding former Sirsa MP Sunita Duggal from the Ratia (SC-reserved) seat. “There was positive feedback on my name in every survey that the party conducted. I have the support of 80-90 sarpanches with me who even gave in writing to the party that they are supporting me. Yet, the party has not given me the ticket to contest polls. It is extremely shocking and demotivating for me. I spoke with Chief Minister Saini and state BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli and asked them if they had come across any shortcomings in me or my work. They had no reply. When the party did not consider a worker like me, there was no reason for me to continue in the BJP. Thus, I submitted my resignation,” Napa said earlier in the day.

Napa said the Congress had committed to him that it would look into his demand for a ticket. “Even if they don’t (field him), I shall continue to work for the people of my community and constituency as a worker of the Congress,” he added.

One of the biggest setbacks for the party will be Kamboj’s decision to quit the party after being ignored in the constituency of Indri in Karnal district. The BJP has fielded incumbent MLA Ram Kumar Kashyap. In his resignation letter, Kamboj lashed out at the BJP leadership, accusing it of ignoring committed and dedicated workers and preferring new entrants to the party.