Chandigarh: The fate of five Haryana Congress lawmakers accused of cross-voting remains in limbo after the party’s disciplinary committee summoned the group for a high-stakes hearing on April 3.The widening rift within the state unit was laid bare on Monday during a Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting in the capital, from which the five accused MLAs were pointedly excluded. While 30 of the party’s 32 assembly members attended or provided apologies, the “tainted” quintet received no invitation, signalling a hardening of the party’s stance.State party president Rao Narender Singh and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda have confirmed the move, stating that internal investigations are proceeding in accordance with the party’s constitution. “The disciplinary committee has fixed April 3 for those who have submitted their initial replies. Action will follow,” Rao Narender Singh told reporters.Legal Challenge Over ‘Invalid’ VotesThe meeting also served as a launchpad for a formal legal challenge against the recent Rajya Sabha election results. The party is preparing a complaint to the Election Commission of India (ECI) targeting returning officer Pankaj Aggarwal. Hooda alleged that Aggarwal “illegally declared” four Congress votes as invalid, a move that shifted the balance of the contest. Rajya Sabha MP Karamveer Baudh was present to coordinate the presentation-cum-complaint intended for the ECI.Mandi ‘High-Security Zones’Beyond internal friction, the CLP moved to corner the BJP govt over the wheat procurement process. Hooda accused the administration of treating grain markets (mandis) like “high-security zones or jails” through the introduction of draconian new verification rules. The new procurement hurdles include biometric verification (farmers must undergo fingerprint scanning), vehicle documentation (mandatory photography of tractor number plates), and guarantors (a requirement for three individuals to verify a farmer’s identity).Hooda said: “This is a policy to harass farmers. There is no labour, no transport tenders, and no basic facilities like tarpaulins in the mandis. This govt wants farmers to quit farming altogether.” To counter these issues, the Congress has directed its MLAs to visit every grain market in the state to monitor the procurement process and prevent further distress to growers. MSID:: 129902391 413 |
