Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh
Haryana strongman Venod Sharma
has been a veteran of many a political battle but perhaps for the first time,
he has been left high and dry, not knowing what do after he resigned from the
Congress and could not gain access to the NDA through Haryana Janhit Congress.
Political sources said the entry
of Sharma in HJC was opposed not only by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha,
Sushma Swaraj but also by members of HJC chief Kuldeep Bishnoi’s family.
Though it was Swaraj’s tweet on
Thursday morning which sealed the fate of Sharma and prevented his entry in
HJC, sources said that brother of Bishnoi and former Haryana Deputy Chief
Minister, Chander Mohan was also strongly opposed to Sharma entering his party
and disturbing the internal equations. Mohan, who had converted to Islam and
named himself Chand Mohammed to marry Fiza, was forced to resign from the post
of Deputy CM in the first tenure of Bhupinder Singh Hooda due to the scandal.
Chander Mohan has been
marginalised in HJC ever since his conversion and re-conversion and was eyeing
the Karnal Lok Sabha seat for political rehabilitation. It was the same seat
which Sharma also wanted to contest, triggering protest from Chander Mohan.
Also, had Sharma got into the HJC, he would have demanded the Panchkula
Assembly seat for his son from where Chander Mohan had won several times in the
past. Bishnoi’s brother wanted to avoid a strong competitor within the party
and played his cards deftly to prevent the joining of Sharma.
Moreover, sources said, Jasma
Devi, widow of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, too was strongly
opposed to Sharma joining HJC.
Her reason was entirely
different. When Congress won the 2005 Assembly polls in the state, both Hooda
and her husband Bhajan Lal were contenders for the post of Chief Minister. She
believes that Hooda became the chief minister due to the political maneuvering
of Sharma and Bhajan Lal was denied his rightful claim on the post.
Sources in HJC are still baffled
how Sharma managed to convince Bishnoi in the first place. “In 2009 Assembly
polls when Congress won only 40 seats and HJC six seats, the party was getting
a good deal to support Hooda. However, it was Sharma who practically took away
the entire party and made them join Congress,” said a flummoxed HJC supporter.
He said it was only due to Sharma that of the six, five MLAs walked over to
Congress and Bishnoi was the lone MLA left in the party.
Licking his wounds and perhaps
failing in his strategy to be on the potential winning side post 2014 general
elections, Sharma is planning his next political move. Sources said there are
three options for him now — joining Bahujan Samaj Party, floating a regional
party or exploring options in the main Opposition Indian National Lok Dal.
A source said INLD seems a
credible option given the fact that if the party managed to win a few seats, it
could easily extend support to BJP and join NDA.
INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala
and his son Ajay Chautala are presently in Tihar Jail, New
Delhi where Sharma’s son, Manu Sharma too is
undergoing life imprisonment for the Jessica Lal murder case. Manu could
perhaps act as a bridge between his father and Chautala.
Time is running out for Sharma as
he would have to announce his next political move in the Jan Chetna Mahayagya
rally at Kurukshetra on Sunday. Preparations have been made for the rally as
the groundwork was being done for the last few weeks.
The attendance in the rally and
who all would be on the dais is being keenly watched. Whichever line Sharma takes, he has ensured a
dent in the Congress’ support base and it could not have come at a worse time
for Hooda as in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls. (March 8, 2014 )
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