Date:02/03/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/03/02/stories/2005030215741100.htm

National

Bhajan Lal, Hooda supporters clash

By Rajesh Ahuja

Bhajan Lal

CHANDIGARH, MARCH 1. The infighting within the Haryana Congress over the issue of who should be the next Chief Minister came out in the open as supporters of the sitting Rohtak MP, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, clashed with the supporters of the former Chief Minister and State party president, Bhajan Lal, outside the Vidhan Sabha here this evening. The Chandigarh police resorted to force to bring the situation under control.

Inside the Vidhan Sabha, the three observers deputed by the high command to oversee the proceedings of the Congress Legislature Party — the Union Minister, P.M. Sayeed, and the AICC general secretaries, Ashok Gehlot and Janardhan Dwiwedi — had a tough time in arriving at a consensus given the intense lobbying by the chief ministerial aspirants. In the end, a unanimous resolution was passed authorising the party president, Sonia Gandhi, to decide the issue.

Later, the observers interviewed 66 out of the 67 newly-elected MLAs individually and sought their opinion on who should be the next Chief Minister. Bharat Singh, MLA from Samalakha, could not make it due to illness. During the meeting, which started around 4.30 p.m. and went on till late in the evening, they sought the views of seven out of nine party MPs present.

Bhupinder Singh Hooda

Talking to mediapersons, the observers said that they would convey the feelings of the party legislators to Ms. Gandhi and the final decision would be hers.

The day, both inside and outside the Assembly, was marked by meetings held by the two camps. It is learnt that around 20 Congress MLAs gathered at a city hotel here this afternoon and extended support to Mr. Hooda's candidature. Likewise, a sizeable number of MLAs gathered at Mr. Bhajan Lal's residence at Panchkula. They maintained that his claim to chief ministership for the fourth term had validity as it was under his leadership that the Congress won 67 seats in the Assembly polls. Moreover, a sitting MP was rather needed at the Centre and the Chief Minister should be elected from among the legislators. It is learnt that about 46 MLAs supported Mr. Bhajan Lal.

While some talked about a formula that had been evolved to resolve the crisis such as appointing Mr. Bhajan Lal as the Chief Minister, Birender Singh as the Deputy Chief Minister and Randeep Singh Surjewala as a full-fledged president of the Haryana unit of the party, others asserted that there was no bar on a MP becoming the chief minister.

Some MPs and MLAs openly spoke against Mr. Bhajan Lal and levelled allegations that he had "worked against some candidates" and that a person of clean image, irrespective of whether he was a Jat or non-Jat, should be made the chief minister. A large number of MLAs were, however, seen projecting Mr. Bhajan Lal's candidature.

The Union Ministers, Selja and Inderjit Singh, were rather evasive on whether they too were in the race for the chief minister's post. Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is also said to be a contender, replied diplomatically that the ball was in Ms. Gandhi's court.