Cong MLAs make fresh bid to dislodge Tanwar
CHANDIGARH: Making a renewed bid to dislodge state party president Ashok Tanwar, a group of Congress MLAs belonging to the camp of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda called on top party leadership earlier this week and reportedly demanded Tanwar’s ouster, alleging he had failed to keep the party united.
While Hooda met party vicepresident Rahul Gandhi separately, a group of MLAs, including Karan Dalal and Kuldeep Sharma, called on All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Kamal Nath, in-charge of Haryana affairs.
Several MLAs, who did not want to be named, told HT that it was conveyed to senior Congress leaders that state leadership had failed to keep all the factions of the party united and, therefore, it failed to put up a concerted challenge before the BJP government in the state.
“We have clearly conveyed to them that Tanwar and Congress legislature party (CLP) leader Kiran Choudhry had failed to keep the party united and should be removed from their posts,” a senior MLA said.
Differences between the Hooda and Tanwar groups had come out wide in the open ever since a clash took place between their supporters in Delhi on October 6 last year, in which Tanwar was injured and had to be hospitalised.
Tanwar’s supporters had lodged complaints with the police as well as the National Commission for Scheduled Castes. Besides, both the groups had also taken their respective grouses to the party high command several times.
While Choudhry and senior party leader Capt Ajay Yadav have sided with Tanwar, over a dozen of the total 17 MLAs defended Hooda saying that it was a bid to tarnish his image.
The differences between the two camps were so evident that in the budget session of the state assembly held last month, none of the legislators s attended CLP meeting convened by Choudhry.
“We have also conveyed to the party leadership that we would not attend CLP meeting under Choudhry in future either,” said another MLA of the Hooda camp.