It was meant to be a legal battle between a Congress warhorse and the RSS. But it is fast turning into a fight between HRD minister Arjun Singh and the Haryana government.

Singh is at loggerheads with Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s government for appointing an ‘‘RSS’’ man as the state’s advocate general (AG). The minister’s grouse is not only ideological but also personal: Haryana AG Hawa Singh Hooda, a man said to be handpicked by the CM, is the RSS counsel in a criminal case against the HRD minister.

In August 2004, the RSS had filed two criminal cases against the minister after he had linked the Sangh’s name with the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. One of these cases, filed in Chennai, was thrown out by the court. But the other case—filed under sections 499 and 500 of the IPC by the RSS through Darshan Lal Jain, a local Sangh functionary—is pending in a court in Jagadhari, Haryana. Senior advocate Hooda is RSS counsel in the case.

A few days ago, while speaking to his lawyers about the progress of the case, Singh was reportedly shocked to hear that the Congress-led Haryana Government had appointed his legal adversary as the AG for the state.

According to sources, Singh called up the Haryana Government on Saturday to express his displeasure with the appointment. ‘‘CM Hooda had pacified the minister with an assurance of taking necessary corrective action,’’ said sources. Singh has also taken up the matter with the Congress leadership, arguing that people without an ideological commitment to the Congress were enjoying the fruits of the Congress rule.

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