Rao Inderjit Singh, Congress MP from Gurgaon, has expressed surprise at his non-inclusion in the Union Cabinet and hinted at a lobby working against him.

Talking to The Indian Express, he said he was disappointed at not being given a Cabinet berth. “It is difficult for me to understand why this happened. I had a good track record in the last UPA government and was quite hopeful of being given the chance again, but felt surprised when the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh called me up on phone to say I would not be included in the Union Cabinet. I will continue to work for the development of south Haryana, but there is disappointment among the people of my constituency,” he said.

Hinting out at a lobby in the Congress working against him, Rao Inderjit Singh said he is a straightforward man and believes in hard work, rather than manipulations of any kind. “Band darwaze ke peeche mere khilaf kya hua mujhe kuch pata nahin. Pahle to logon (Congressmen) ne meri ticket rokne ki koshish ki. Phir meri constituency badalne ki koshish ki. Par main jeet gaya to Cabinet berth nahin mila. Mujhe drawing room game khelna aata nahin,'' he said dejectedly, without naming his detractors.

It is widely believed that CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda's camp was opposed to Rao Inderjit Singh getting ticket from Gurgaon. Haryana Irrigation Minister Capt Ajay Singh Yadav was also interested in getting the ticket from Gurgaon. Later it was reported that many Congress leaders had not campaigned actively for Rao Inderjit Singh in Gurgaon.

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