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Congress yields to Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s demands over party rejig

Hooda lauded the BJP-led Centre’s decision to revoke Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Chandigarh/New Delhi: The Congress party is likely to effect changes in its Haryana unit as early as this week yielding to the political ultimatum given by former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

At a “Maha Privartan Rally” he addressed at the Cattle Fair Ground in Rohtak on Sunday, Mr Hooda announced a 25-member committee to decide the “future course of action” for his faction — words that appear to suggest he and his supporters could decide to break away from the party. The committee he announced will comprise 13 Congress MLAs owing their allegiance to him.

Mr Hooda fuelled rumours of a potential rift between the national and Haryana leadership of Congress when he slammed the grand old party for “losing its way” over Article 370. He lauded the BJP-led Centre’s decision to revoke Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

“I was born in a patriotic family, those who oppose the abrogation of Article 370, I want to tell them ‘usulon par jahan aanch aaye, vahan takrana zaruri hai, jo zinda hai to zinda dikhna zaruri hai’,” added Mr Hooda.

However, Mr Hooda was quick to add that he supported the Centre’s move because many soldiers hailing from Haryana are posted in Jammu and Kashmir. He reminded the Manohar Lal Kattar-led Haryana government that it cannot hide behind the Centre’s decision to revoke Article 370 as the state government will soon have to give an account of its regime of the last five years.

Sources told this newspaper that Mr Hooda stopped short of announcing formation a new party at his massive show of strength rally at Rohtak on Sunday after missives were sent to him that his demands for changes would be accommodated by the Congress high-command while re-organising the Haryana unit.

The formidable Jat leader has been demanding removal of Haryana Pradesh Congress chief Ashok Tanwar and had also indicated that he be declared the chief ministerial candidate for the coming Assembly polls in the state.

Mr Tanwar, a former president of the Indian Youth Congress, is seen to be an appointee of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

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