By IANS
Rohtak (Haryana) : Former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal and his MP son Kuldeep Bishnoi Sunday jolted the ruling Congress in the state as they announced the formation of a new political party in the state, Haryana Janhit Congress (BL).
Addressing a big rally in this hometown of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the father-son duo criticized the policies of the state government and the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in the centre.
Bishnoi will be the new president of the party. The young leader announced that he had sent in his resignation as Congress MP to Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chaterjee to be effective from June 1 next year.
The new party will seek from the Election Commission of India ‘the rising sun’ as its election symbol.
“We have floated this new party to safeguard the interests of people of Haryana. The present Congress leadership in the state has forgotten the people,” Bhajan Lal said in his brief speech at the rally.
“Give us a chance and if we fail your expectations, never let us return to power,” said Bishnoi, the MP from Bhiwani who was suspended from the Congress for openly criticizing Hooda and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
“Given the obstacles faced by us in organizing this rally including our workers and leaders being beaten up by the Haryana police and people not being allowed to reach the rally venue here, we have succeeded in putting up a massive show. Our party already has a membership of 200,000 members,” he said.
“Sonia Gandhi claims to be tyag ki moorti (apostle of sacrifice) but she has double standards. The Congress has no link with the suffering of the common man. Hooda is the most corrupt chief minister in the entire country. He has even surpassed all records of corruption set by (former chief minister) Om Prakash Chautala,” Bishnoi said.
Both father and son were highly critical of Gandhi’s leadership as thousands of supporters shouted slogans. A large number of youth were dressed in bright yellow and carried yellow flags – to show the strength of a new ‘yellow brigade’ created at the behest of Bishnoi.
Bhajan Lal, who led the Congress in Haryana to one of its biggest victories in assembly polls in February 2005, was pipped to the post of the chief minister by Hooda who was personally chosen by Gandhi.
Ever since, Hooda has emerged stronger in the state and within the Congress. Gandhi has visited Haryana thrice in this year alone.
Bhajan Lal and Bishnoi came to the rally venue in two helicopters, which showered petals on the gathered crowds.
Dissident Congress legislator Rakesh Kamboj, whose leg was fractured in a police cane charge at Karnal Saturday when he was coming for the rally, was brought to the rally stage in a stretcher.