Advantage Hooda: Bishnoi party splits in Haryana,4 of 6 MLAs join Cong

The four HJC MLAs,Rao Narender Singh (Narnaul),Zile Ram Chochra (Assandh),Satpal Sangwan (Dadri) and Vinod Bhayana (Hansi),said they had “legally split” and “merged with the Congress” as they constituted two-third of the HJC legislature party strength,in the process escaping the anti-defection law.

The development unfolded in a dramatic manner in the afternoon when a nephew of Hooda,Monu,ferried the four MLAs from New Delhi to Chandigarh by air. At Chandigarh,the five drove down to the residence of M S Chopra,an aide of the Chief Minister. They were soon joined by state Congress president Phool Chand Mullana and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala.

After working out the next course of their action,Mullana and Surjewala,accompanied by the MLAs,reached the Haryana Vidhan Sabha. The Chief Minister,however,stayed back. The MLAs called on Assembly Speaker H S Chatha and submitted a letter to him stating that they had merged their party with the Congress.

The four MLAs told reporters that their decision to switch over to the Congress was “unconditional” and accused Bishnoi of hobnobbing with Opposition leader and INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala.

The HJC is now left with just two MLAs — Bishnoi,Adampur legislator and the younger son of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal,and Dharam Singh Chhokar (Israna). According to Congress sources,in a late night breakthrough,Chhokar was on the verge of joining the ranks of the four MLAs.

This addition to the Congress strength will reduce the bargaining powers of the Independents who have all been accommodated in the Council of Ministers and as chief parliamentary secretaries. At one stage,Bishnoi was being considered for the post of Deputy Chief Minister but now appears to have frittered away that chance.

“We had a few meetings with Bishnoi and asked him to merge with the Congress. But he did not listen and kept hobnobbing with Chautala. We have taken this step in the interest of the people of Haryana so that the state can have a stable government,” Rao Narender Singh said.

Chatha gave his stamp of approval to the split in the HJC legislature party,saying the action of the four MLAs was “100 per cent legal” as the “Constitution says that two-third members of a party can split and merge”.

“From today itself,the four are now Congress MLAs and the party strength in the House is now 44,” Chatha said.

Meanwhile,Mullana,speaking to reporters,admitted that infighting cost the Congress “heavily” in the Assembly elections.

“We lost many seats due to infighting,” said Mullana after chairing a meeting called to analyse reasons behind the Congress’s below expectation performance.

The Congress,which won 67 seats in the 2005 Assembly elections,won 40 seats this time,six short of a simple majority in the 90-member House.