Haryana Congress’ preparations for ‘Mission 2019’ began on a dull note on Monday as not even a single MLA or party’s lone MP attended the first day of party’s much-touted manthan-shivir in Gurugram.
While the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee has invited its office-bearers, legislators, MP and other senior party leaders to attend the manthan-shivir, all 17 party MLAs, lone MP Deependra Singh Hooda and other prominent leaders stayed away from the manthan –shivir, which began at Gurugram to chalk out party’s strategy for 2019 parliamentary and assembly polls.
While the MLAs, owing allegiance to former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, have already announced to skip the three-day shivir, CLP leader Kiran Choudhry, MLA Randeep Singh Surjewala, MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi and his wife Renuka Bishnoi, senior leader Kumari Selja among others were also missing during the first day of the shivir convened by Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar.
With an aim to strengthen the party ahead of 2019 polls and formulate polls strategy to take on the BJP led Haryana Government, the State Congress unit has decided to hold three “manthan shivirs” in the State.
These shivirs will be of three days each. While the first shivir began at Gurugram on Monday, two more manthan-shivirs will be held at Hisar and Chandigarh.
Following this, an event will be held in Rohtak on February 12, where the Congress will announce its mass outreach programmes to be held in next one year in view of next polls in Haryana.
“The Congress will held discussions on law and order situation, farmer’s woes, water-sharing problem, unfulfilled poll promises of BJP and other key issues related to Haryana during the manthan-shivir,” said Ashok Tanwar, Haryana Congress chief while talking to The Pioneer.
When asked about the absence of all MLAs and MP on the first day of the shivir, Tanwar said,” We have invited all the party leaders and all are welcome to attend it. The Gurugram shivir is for party leaders, office-bearers and workers of seven districts. Many party leaders had attended the first day of sshivir and others are likely to join it from Tuesday onwards.”
On party’s infighting and MLAs giving the manthan-shivir a miss, the Congress leader said that an invitation has been sent to all the leaders. If the leaders want to strengthen the party, they can attend the event, he added.
A large number of central leaders and prominent State leaders are expected to attend the shivir, Tanwar claimed.
Former Minister, Capt Ajay Yadav, who is considered close to Tanwar, had attended the shivir on Monday and said that the party will deliberate upon key issues, which would be raised by the Congress to reach out to the general public in Haryana.
Notably, the faction-ridden Haryana Congress which is divided in two dominant groups of Ashok Tanwar and two-time former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is vigorously working to make a comeback in the State.
Both these leaders have been holding separate functions and party meetings since more than a year.
Staying away from the manthan-shivir, Hooda, who enjoys a support of atleast 12 MLAs and senior party leaders, has already announced to meet Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki on January 17 to raise the issue of deteriorating law and order situation in Haryana.
Also, the senior Congress leader Hooda has announced to carry out a rath yatra to connect with the people of all 90 constituencies in February while Ashok Tanwar will also kick off a cycle yatra with an aim to strengthen the party at grassroot level in the State ahead of next year’s polls.
In the game of one-upmanship in Haryana Congress, Hooda had last week also hosted a lunch for senior Congress leaders at his residence in Delhi.
The former Chief Minister’s loyalists, who include 12 MLAs out of total 17 and senior party leaders in Haryana, had been demanding a change in the State leadership after the Congress’ dismal performance in the 2014 assembly polls. The demand has, however, been ignored by the Central party leadership, which has asked Tanwar to continue as party’s State unit president.
The feud between Hooda and Tanwar factions had further escalated after the party workers clash in New Delhi in 2016 where Tanwar had sustained injuries and blamed the former Chief Minister for planning an attack on him.