Date:04/07/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/04/stories/2006070407211000.htm

National

Congress accepts Bhajan Lal's resignation

Special Correspondent

Bhajan Lal

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday announced it accepted the resignation of Bhajan Lal as the chief of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee.

On Saturday it denied it had received any letter from Mr. Lal.

Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the party "with immediate effect" accepted the resignation. When the report of Mr. Lal's resignation became public the party sought to downplay it.

The party general secretary, Janardhan Dwivedi, said no injustice was done to Mr. Lal, who was Chief Minister for 13 years, with his elder son, Chander Mohan, being the Deputy Chief Minister and the younger son, Kuldeep Bishnoi, representing the Bhiwani Lok Sabha constituency.

Through the media

Party sources said the central leadership preferred to communicate the decision through the media, a route adopted by the Lal camp, which released an unsigned letter of resignation to the press.

They said the party had always accommodated Mr. Lal even when he and his supporters boycotted the first meeting of the Congress Legislature Party where Bhupinder Singh Hooda was elected the leader. Mr. Lal was re-nominated as the Pradesh Congress chief with Other Backward Class leader Ram Prakash, appointed as the working president.