Hooda camp intensifies call to replace Selja as Haryana Congress chief

Former state minister and four-time MLA Geeta Bhukkal said they want that complete command of the state unit should be given to Hooda.

On Sunday, Hooda visited several grain markets, including Ladwa, Pipli and Thanesar, to know the ground reality of procurement. (File)

A day after 19 Congress MLAs, all believed to be loyalists of former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Hooda, met party in-charge Vivek Bansal in Delhi seeking “strong leadership” in the state unit, the campaign to get current state unit chief Kumari Selja replaced gathered further momentum Friday. Former state minister and four-time MLA Geeta Bhukkal said they want that complete command of the state unit should be given to Hooda.

“We want at this juncture, that the complete command (of the state Congress unit) should be given to honourable Chaudhary Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who is a unanimous leader of 36 biradaris (communities),” said Bhukkal.

Claiming that Congress suffered during recent Assembly and Lok Sabha polls due to fledgling party organisation, she added: “We hope that this is the right time for the Congress High Command to take a call as early as possible to give a strong organisation so that we can raise the voice of the public prominently.”

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Reacting to the meeting of the legislators with Bansal, Selja on Friday sought to play it down, saying, “Everybody has the right to put his point of view in the party. The MLAs can meet the state party in-charge. I don’t see any indiscipline in it…”

Meanwhile, other Hooda supporters who spoke to The Indian Express said that “a strong leadership” is required in the state Congress ahead of the elections of local bodies and panchayats. They also raised the issue of delay in formation of district and block units of the party for the past eight years.

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