Hooda out-played Bhajan in wooing everyone

[chhoraharyanada]

Hooda wooed everyone

S P SINGH

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ FRIDAY, MARCH 04, 2005 11:17:45 PM ]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1041663.cms

CHANDIGARH: In a state with nearly 72 per cent non-Jat electorate, it is an irony of sorts that the deep focus on the Jat factor has proven to be the undoing of wily old Bhajan Lal, a three time Chief Minister and eight-time MLA.

But Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the uncrowned king of Rohtak jat belt often referred to as Haryana’s political capital, knows his politics better than such fast-track political analysts and plotted well his challenge to counter the non-Jat crowd, lest too many voices oppose him at Sonia Gandhi’s table.

If Hooda tied up well in time with Jai Prakash, the MP from Hisar and one of the strong jat leaders in the state, it was his attention to other key community groups which facilitated the choice of Chief Minister for 10, Janpath. When it finally came to the two-horse race between Hooda and Birender Singh, one the key reasons Birender was pipped to the post despite Bhajan Lal’s last ditch attempt to cast his lot behind the Uchana Kalan MLA lay in Hooda’s ability carry the non-jats too with him.

Leaders of dalits, banias, yadavs, ahirs, gujjars, muslims and punjabis were wooed by Hooda throughout to prepare for the final show down.

Tallest of the dalit leaders and daughter of Late Union Minister Dalbir Singh, Kumari Selja is a strong Bhajan baiter and aligned clearly with Hooda, keeping Birender only as her second chance, sources said. Among the banias, industrialist Jindals with an MP and an MLA, are also counted in the anti-Bhajan camp.

Among the Yadavs and the Ahirwal belt, Rao Inderjit Singh, currently the Minister of State for External Affairs, is the tallest of the Congress leaders with a wellknown understanding with Hooda and known for his anti-pathy with Bhajan Lal.

At least six assembly seats of Rewari, Mahendargarh, Jatusana, Ateli, Sohna and Salawas fall in this Yadav-Ahirwal belt. Gujjar leader Avtar Singh Badhana, the MP from Faridabad, was one of the first ones who submitted it in writing to the high command that Bhajan Lal should not be the chief minister.

Among the muslims, the father-son team of Tayab Hussain and Zakir Hussain in Taoru and Khursheed Ahmed, the key Congress leader who lost Nuh assembly seat this time despite Sonia Gandhi personally campaigning in his area, are both anti-Bhajan.

With such well crafted strategy in place to ensure that Bhajan is not able to hard sell the argument that an over reliance on jat votebank was not the way to go in a state with plus 70 per cent non-jat vote, Hooda was not able to just vanquish the last of the proactive Lals but also pip fellow jat Birender to the top job.

 

[devdahiya]

Thanx

Thanx for the update dear.

 

[rkumar]

Game of politics is a one which has nothing like limited overs. It does not stop. I was wondering as to what all options Mr Bhajan Lal will exercise to distabilize Mr Hooda's government. I can not rule out the following possibilities;

1. Mr Bhajan Lal defecting to BJP with minimum 1/3rd of the congress MLAs and then joining hands with Mr Chautala to explore the possibilities of forming government.

2. Floating his own outfit with defected MLAs.

Nothing can be ruled out in politics. People like Mr Bhajan Lala are capable of anything..Let us see how things will unfold as the time goes..May be we will update this thread from time to time.

Rajendra

 

[jagmohan]

Not Likely...

In my view Bhajan Lal will sit quiet this time around, or he should do so if he wants to see his sons prosper in the Congress of the Gandhi's. Let us not forget that many young Congress MP's are vying with each other to be in Rahul Gandhi's good books.

The second reason why Bhajan Lal will be tamed is that, unlike the other Lals, Devi or Bansi and even Om Prakash for that matter, Ch Hooda is under no obligation NOT to reopen corruption cases. Bhajan Lal knows this. He does not have a symbiotic relationship with Ch Hooda. As yet, that is.

The last reason being the closeness of Ch Hooda with the Gandhi's. He is amongst the very few who stood with the Gandhi's when they were being sidelined by the Kesaris & Narshima Raos. Loyalty pays in India politics.

Let us hope there is stability and the state is benefitted.

 

[kulwant]

Defection Rules

Rajender Ji,

What I feel is that as per the new anti defection rule it is really difficult to change the sides.....if i am not wrong(please correct me if i am wrong here) i think now a person has to resign to change the party and give his/her support.

If Bhajan Lal tries to do any anti party activity, it means he is insuring the bleak political future for his both SONS.

 

[ramksehrawat]

Rajender Ji,

What I feel is that as per the new anti defection rule it is really difficult to change the sides.....if i am not wrong(please correct me if i am wrong here) i think now a person has to resign to change the party and give his/her support.

If Bhajan Lal tries to do any anti party activity, it means he is insuring the bleak political future for his both SONS.

Major Sahab,

The anti-defection laws deal with inter-party defections only. Here the danger is intra-party defections i.e. from one group to another group within the same party. Bhajniya already has the declared support of more than 20 MLAs and he openly consoled his group, "mayus kyon ho rahe ho 3 mahine ki baat hai". Even Hooda's statement that he would complete his full term of five years is indicative of the fact that all is not well within the party. A CM with 3/4th majority don't give such statements. Why did he say so. Moreover, Haryana is notorious for its aya rams and gaya rams and Bhajniya is the Pitamah of wholesale defections. He has truckloads of money to buy MLAs. He may bribe them and to revolt against Hooda. Hence, Hooda should always be alert and if this sanke called bhajanlal raises his hood, he should crush it with all his might. Moreover, the basic principle in politics is "when there is no opposition from outside, the opposition develops from within. It happened with Rajiv and it may happen with Hooda. Bhajan Lal is the "opposition within".

 

[rkumar]

As told earlier, politics is a very funny game and has hardly any well laid down rules. Most of these Bhajan Lal supporters were by his side with the assumption that he would make it to the CM post. Now result is known and so are the changing loyalities. Read the following;

Cracks in Bhajan camp
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 6
At least eight MLAs oweing allegiance to the Haryana Congress president, Mr Bhajan Lal, last night crossed over to the Hooda camp, when they met the Chief Minister at a dinner hosted by Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, former officiating leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), at his Panchkula residence last night.8

These MLAs had abstained from the meeting of the CLP at which Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda was elected its leader in Delhi on March 4.

According to informed sources, Mr Phool Chand Mullana, Mr Lachhman Dass Arora and Mr Dharambir Gauba, all former ministers; Ms Raj Rani Poonam, Mrs Sumita Singh, Mr Dillu Ram and Mr Jai Singh Rana, all Congress MLAs and Mr Habib-ur-Rehman, Independent MLA, told Mr Hooda that they were not allowed to come to the CLP meeting by supporters of Mr Bhajan Lal from his residence.

They reportedly assured Mr Hooda that they had full faith in the leadership of Mrs Sonia Gandhi as well as in his leadership. The sources say that the MLAs expressed resentment against Mr Bhajan Lal, who, they reportedly alleged, betrayed them. They said while Mr Bhajan Lal told them not to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Mr Hooda, he (Mr Bhajan Lal) himself attended the Raj Bhawan function.

The MLAs were also reportedly angry with Mr Bhajan Lal for demanding the status of Deputy Chief Minister for his son and not pleading their case for Cabinet berths. Mr Hooda, the sources say, assured the MLAs that he would not discriminate against them.

Rajendra