Deepender plans to spread wings in Haryana with ‘thanksgiving’ tour
SAYS HIS STATEWIDE TOUR WILL CONTINUE FOR 2-3 MONTHS AND COVER EVERY ASSEMBLY SEGMENT OF THE STATE
CHANDIGARH: Behind Congress making a surprise comeback in Haryana Vidhan Sabha elections was political clout of Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the former twoterm chief minister who is facing a string of corruption cases.
His son and former three-term Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda was the key strategist, who planned every move of Sr Hooda and halted the victory march of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at 40 seats in the 90-member assembly.
And now, in a carefully calibrated move, Deepender has decided to kick off a ‘thanksgiving tour’ across the state in the first week of December. The decision is loaded with political significance. Till now, Deepender had been restricting his political activities to his Rohtak Lok Sabha seat. Clearly, the decision to embark on a statewide tour hints at former MP turning his gaze towards the state politics and aiming at bigger responsibility in future.
‘A MORAL VICTORY’
According to the 41-year-old Deepender, the Congress winning 31 seats in Haryana assembly was a moral victory. “It is a matter of immense satisfaction for us that Congress has got a very good mandate in Haryana. That’s why I have decided to again knock on the doors of voters across the state and express gratitude with folded hands for supporting us in the assembly elections,” Deepender said in a freewheeling chat with Hindustan Times.
His tour will start from Jhajjar district where the Congress has won all the four seats. Jhajjar, Rohtak and Sonepat districts are part of Deswali belt, the citadel of Sr Hooda. The Congress won 11 seats out of total 14 segments of this belt. “Wheat sowing will be over by the time I would launch my tour. It will continue for twothree months during which, I plan to visit every assembly segment,” Deepender said, pointing out that during the tour, ‘antifarmer policies’ of the central and state governments will be highlighted.
He said, “We will play the role of proactive and constructive opposition. During the thanksgiving tour, I will raise hot-button issues bothering the people.”
In 2014, Deepender had emerged as the only Congress leader from Haryana to make it to the Lok Sabha. The former MP had won his seat with comfortable margins in 2005 and 2009. In 2014, he had defeated BJP’s OP Dhankar by more than 1.7 lakh votes. But in a nail-biting 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he lost the Rohtak seat by 7,503 votes. All other nine Congress candidates had lost by huge margins, including Kumari Selja who lost by 3.42 lakh votes.
Ahead of the assembly elections, former CM Hooda and his son were in a rebellious mood. They had threatened to float a new outfit. However, the Congress high command placated Sr Hooda by accepting some of his key demands. Deepender’s decision to go solo on the tour will be watched closely. And within the party, it is unlikely if it doesn’t cause quite a flutter.