July 20, 2011 10:55:59 PM
Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh
With discontent brewing in the Haryana Congress on a range of issues, a meeting of the Coordination committee of the party was held in
As expected, the party officially ruled out any differences amongst the warring leaders. “We mainly discussed the implementation of the flagship programmes of the UPA I and II. This meeting was for better coordination between the party and the government. There are no differences in the party,” All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary in-charge of Haryana, B K Hariprasad told The Pioneer on phone from
However, sources said that there were several demands put forward by the group which is considered opposed to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. This included allegations that development work was not balanced in the state.
“The development is skewed. Those who differ with the Chief Minister find that the projects have been shifted to the constituencies of those who are loyal to the CM. In addition, projects are being continuously taken to the Rohtak region, the area represented by Hooda and his son, Deepender Hooda” a party leader said.
Asked about the demands of party leaders that development was not evenly spread out in the state, Hariprasad said, “It is natural for leaders to demand more projects in their areas. We do not see it as a difference.”
Questions were also raised in the meeting about Ministers not being involved in decision making as Cabinet meetings are rarely held, centralization of power in the hands of Hooda and constitution of the two bodies for selection of candidates for various government posts in the state.
This was the first meeting of the coordination committee after Hariprasad took over as the party in-charge of the state from Prithviraj Chavan, who was sent to Maharashtra as the Chief Minister.
Those who attended the meeting included Chief Minister Hooda, Union Minister Shelja, Rajya Sabha MPs Birender Singh and Ram Prakash, PCC President Phool Chand Mullana and Minister in the Haryana government, Captain Ajay Singh Yadav.
The meeting took place in the backdrop of Hooda removing Captain Yadav from the crucial Finance department for opposing the land acquisition policy of the state, particularly agricultural land for industrial projects. As the minister holding the Finance Department is practically considered as Number two in the government, Yadav took umbrage and met party President Sonia Gandhi to apprise her of the developments in the state.
To a query about the land acquisition policy in the state and whether it needs to be modified in view of the opposition by leaders like Shelja and Captain Yadav, Hariprasad said that the law needs to be amended. “The land acquisition law needs to be amended. A Bill will be passed by Parliament to this effect and all the suggestions made by leaders from the state would be incorporated,’ he said.
Ironically, scion of the Gandhi-Nehru family and General Secretary Rahul Gandhi had praised the land acquisition policy of Haryana in his Padyatra to enlist the support of the farmers in western UP. The same policy has been criticised by his party leaders in the state as several farmers’ agitation have been going on, including one in Ambala, the Lok Sabha constituency of Shelja.
Hariprasad said that another agenda for the meeting was nominations to the posts in various Boards and Corporations of the state. He said after getting the list from the state, it would be forwarded to the Congress President Sonia Gandhi for approval.
On the party strategy for the Hissar bye-election, the AICC General Secretary said the Coordination committee discussed the issue but has left the matter to Gandhi. The seat fell vacant following the death of Haryana Janhit Congress leader and MP Bhajan Lal. He said more such meetings would be held in the future for coordination between the party and the government.
http://dailypioneer.com/354686/Haryana-Cong-meet-held-in-New-Delhi.html
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