The Congress, at an official press conference on Sunday, refused to directly respond to former Haryana Chief Minister and party strongman Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s statement that he will soon decide his future course of action and his backing of the Centre’s decision on Article 370.
“I am not commenting on his [Mr Hooda’s] comment but I can speak in terms of our general approach and principle. I don’t think a true Congress soldier will step out of line on this [on Congress position on Article 370] but there can be a difference on an individual level in terms of emphasis,” said party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Other senior leaders told The Hindu that interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi should immediately intervene and make Mr. Hooda the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president to prevent him from leaving the party.
The former two-term Haryana Chief Minister has had serious differences with incumbent Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar, a Dalit leader, who was earlier appointed by Rahul Gandhi, and wanted him replaced. Senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is the party in-charge for Haryana, has been in touch with Mr. Hooda but there is no word yet on Mr. Tanwar’s replacement.
With the BJP focussing on non-Jat voters, who make up nearly two-third of the State electorate, the Congress seems to be xx about asking Mr. Hooda, a powerful Jat leader, to head the party. “If Mr. Hooda leaves then it could set off a chain reaction among others regional leaders,” said a senior leader.
