In defector’s backyard, Renuka smiles and lashes out at Speaker

It should also assuage some of Bishnois’ worries as Bhyana was seriously making inroads into the non-Jat votes especially among the Punjabis, a community the latter belongs to.  Aware that it could have a negative impact, a sudden calm descended on the Bhyana office but Vinod’s brother, Mahender Bhyana, stepped in to assure the workers that there was no need to worry; the decision would be challenged, he pointed out. Among the five defectors, Bhyana and his family had faced the most flak as they hail from Bishnoi’s home district.

“There is no worry as there was nothing wrong. We will challenge the decision in the higher court,” Mahender told The Indian Express.
On whether he was justifying the defection, Mahender said, “It was the best possible decision. Had he not changed sides, the area would have been left high and dry.

There has been tremendous development here after he took over as Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS)”.

Among Bhyana’s workers at the party office on the busy Hansi-Hisar road, there were murmurs of the fallout.

“We are not sure about the repercussions of the decision. But this does not sound good. Our campaign is at its peak and this kind of information would certainly have an adverse impact,” said Surender, a party worker.

Renuka Bishnoi, who too was campaigning in the constituency, was immediately upbeat. She was performing a hawan when she got the news. “Our stand is vindicated. The court has proved it and now it is the turn of the people of the state to vindicate us. It may be late but we have finally got justice,” she said after her performing Havana at her new address in Hansi from where she is contesting against Bhyana.

She however lashed out at Speaker Kuldeep Sharma. “The Vidhan Sabha speaker completed his tenure while working as a Congress worker. He will rightly be punished by the people of the state,” Renuka said.

The Congress observer for Hisar, Naresh Kumar seemed skeptical in his response. “I have heard about the decision. We will study the judgment to decide our future course in the matter. As of now we are strongly behind our candidate,” said Naresh Kumar.

Bhyana had been a close confidant of the Bhajan Lal family and was elected to the assembly on the HJC ticket in 2009 but like his other four colleagues, he shifted loyalty to the Congress and was taken in as a CPS. This time Bishnoi chose to field his wife from Hansi as he himself was contesting from their native constituency of Adampur.

The HJC has its own vote bank here among the non jats and until his lifetime, Bhajan used to handpick the first the Congress and then the HJC  candidate.