Chandigarh, Sep 23 (PTI) Amid murmurs of infighting in the Haryana Congress, Sirsa MP Kumari Selja on Monday said the aim is to bring the party to power in the state and that she will campaign in the assembly polls this week.
Selja’s statement comes after the ruling BJP targeted the Congress over the Dalit leader staying away from the poll campaign amid reports that she was sulking.
Talking to PTI Videos in Delhi, the 61-year-old Selja, who is the Congress general secretary, said she will start the campaign in two-three days.
At a poll rally in Haryana’s Tohana, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, calling it an “anti-Dalit” party and said it “insulted” Dalit leaders like Kumari Selja and Ashok Tanwar.
Shah’s remarks came after Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar had invited Selja to join the saffron party, amid reports that she was staying away from the campaign for the assembly polls.
Khattar, the former Haryana chief minister, had last week pointed towards the alleged infighting in the state unit of Congress ahead of the assembly polls.
Earlier, in a post on X, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said Selja will address a public meeting in Narwana on September 26 and will campaign for the Congress.
Selja, when asked if she was still upset, quipped, “maybe the BJP is more worried”.
“In party, there are many things, but these are party’s internal matters. To make party win, we worked hard earlier too, in the Lok Sabha polls. We further worked to strengthen the Congress party on the ground, fight battle of people of Haryana, and that of the workers. And taking this work forward, we now have to form a Congress government,” Selja said.
Asked if there was any reason of staying away from campaigning, she quipped, “we will start in two-three days”.
About Sunday’s meeting with party leadership, she said, “You keep meeting party leaders, discussion takes place and these things go on.” Asked why the BJP was trying to woo her, Selja said in a lighter vein, “As I was silent (for few days), so they started to say something. There is no such thing, even they and everyone knows Selja is a Congress person.” On speculations that she may join the BJP, she said, “You will come to know, keep your cameras fixed.” On virtually throwing her hat in the ring for the Haryana chief minister’s post last month in case the Congress gets a majority, and whether she was still firm on this, Selja said the question is (from) whichever section (of a society a CM) becomes, Dalit is also a section in that.
“I don’t want to say this again and again, I may be born into a Dalit family, but despite that we represent ’36 biradari’ (sections of society) and Congress represents all sections,” she said.
Replying to a question, Selja said, “Together we will form the government”.
Selja was learnt to be upset after the party gave a free hand to her bete noire and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in ticket distribution, with most candidates who got the tickets being his loyalists.
Hooda’s loyalists had also been accommodated on the majority of the 17 reserve (SC) seats.
In a post on X in Hindi, Randeep Surjewala said, “MP and elder sister Kumari Selja @Kumari_Selja will also address a public meeting in Narwana on 26th (September) at 12 noon and will campaign for the Congress. Under the leadership of Shri @RahulGandhi and Shri @kharge ji, Congress will fight, win and make the dreams of Haryana come true”.
Surjewala’s son Aditya is also contesting the polls and has been fielded by the Congress from Kaithal, a seat which Surjewala had earlier represented, but is currently held by BJP’s Leela Ram.
Selja, a former Union minister, enjoys a good support base in many districts including Sirsa, Ambala and Hisar.
Recently, several BJP leaders have targeted the Congress over alleged disrespect being meted out to Selja, whose last campaign was in support of party candidates Shamsher Singh Gogi and Shalley Chaudhary on September 11.
Selja was also conspicuous by her absence at the event in Delhi where the Congress released manifesto for the polls.
On Friday, while addressing a poll rally in Gharaunda, Khattar had said, “There is so much infighting there (in Haryana Congress) and there is no clarity about their chief ministerial face. There is a fight between the father and the son (Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Deepender Hooda). The father says he will become the CM while son says he will. Besides them, other leaders also have desire (for the CM post)”.
“There is our Dalit sister – sitting at home. A large section of people are today thinking about what they should do. Many people were upset with them and we brought them into the party fold. We are ready with an offer and if (she) comes, we are ready to induct her,” he had said.
Last week, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram had said that there was no dissidence in the Haryana Congress.
“My good friend (Kumari) Selja ji has not said a single word against Mr (Bhupinder Singh) Hooda, nor has Mr Hooda said a word against Ms Selja. So we are a united party. We will fight this election in a united manner,” Chidambaram had said. PTI SUN VSD KVK KVK KVK
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