Date:02/07/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/02/stories/2006070212430100.htm

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Bhajan Lal resigns in protest against `humiliation'

Special Correspondent

"The state of affairs in the party in Haryana is pathetic"

"No injustice done to him or his sons," says high command

NEW DELHI: Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal on Saturday resigned from the post of president of the State Congress, upset over "humiliation" of grassroots-level workers by the party and the Bhupinder Singh Hooda Government.

Mr. Bhajan Lal is also upset that his loyalists, including his son and Bhiwani MP Kuldeep Bishnoi, have not found place in the recently reconstituted Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee.

In New Delhi, however, party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi, in charge of Congress affairs in Haryana, said neither he nor the party president's office had received any resignation letter, an unsigned copy of which was made available to the media here by Mr. Bhajan Lal's followers.

Mr. Dwivedi said no injustice was done either to Mr. Bhajan Lal, who was the Chief Minister of Haryana for over a decade, or his sons, one of whom is Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana at present, while another is Member of Parliament.

The party had recently served a show-cause notice on Mr. Kuldeep Bishnoi after he raised questions about the Reliance-Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation "Special Economic Zone" deal.

In his letter addressed to party president Sonia Gandhi, Mr. Bhajan Lal said developments in Haryana during the past 15 months had been "very painful and agonising" for people. "The state of affairs in the party in Haryana is pathetic due to non-fulfilment of promises made to people by the party."

The recent PCC list has "broken all bounds of patience in the hearts and minds of the real Congress workers at the grassroots level, who have fought every battle" against the likes of Om Prakash Chautala, Bansi Lal and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"I personally have dedicated my entire life for betterment of people of Haryana and to strengthen the Congress at all times," Mr. Bhajan Lal wrote. Keeping these developments in mind and "the unacceptable treatment meted out to the Congress workers by the party and the State Government", he was resigning from his post, he added.