Divided Haryana Congress drifts further apart, two rival campaigns hit the road

AFTER A quick dash to Imphal for the launch of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Nyay Jodo Yatra, followed by a surprise appearance in Ayodhya for Makar Sankranti prayers, senior Congress leader Deepender Hooda was present on Tuesday for the launch of the party’s ‘Ghar Ghar Congress’ campaign in Haryana.

While Deepender’s hectic two days indicated the high stakes for the Hoodas and the Congress as the state heads for Assembly and Lok Sabha polls, on the ground, the party remains a bitterly divided house.

On Tuesday, even as Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, along with son Deepender, kicked off the Ghar Ghar campaign from Hooda’s citadel Rohtak, a rival group comprising Kumari Selja, Randeep Surjewala and Kiran Choudhry (euphemistically dubbed SRK) announced a Jan Sandesh Yatra starting from Hisar on January 17 and ending in February in Ambala, after covering all the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies of Haryana.

Announcing that the yatra would strengthen the Congress, Selja said: “Through this yatra, Congress leaders shall communicate Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s vision to all households across Haryana… The Congress will also expose the BJP’s anti-people policies.”

Selja shared a video message on ‘X’ invoking heroes from the Congress’s history, and linked the Sandesh Yatra to Rahul’s Nyay Yatra. It says that three Congress leaders “with a clean image” are leading the yatra.

हरियाणा में 17 जनवरी से कांग्रेस सन्देश यात्रा की शुरूआत कर रहे हैं। पूरा हरियाणा इंतज़ार में है कि कांग्रेस की सरकार कब बने और इस अन्याय से छुटकारा कब मिले ।

सभी की मांग थी कि राहुल जी पूर्व से लेकर पश्चिम तक एक यात्रा करें, वो यात्रा 14 जनवरी से शुरू हो रही है, हमारा फ़र्ज़…