Haryana Congress MLA Bishnoi meets CM Khattar, sparks speculations about his next move

Haryana Congress’ senior leader and Adampur’s MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi’s meeting with chief minister and BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar has raised eyebrows within the Haryana Congress.

Bishnoi, who is learnt to be miffed with the party after he failed to get a position in the revamped Haryana unit, met met Khattar on Wednesday evening at Gurgaon, triggering speculation about his next move.

Although Bishnoi did not speak about his meeting, the pictures of which went viral on social media and were also widely shared by his supporters, BJP leaders have started welcoming Bishnoi. Bishnoi too tweeted his picture with Khattar and thanked the CM for accepting Adampur constituency’s demand and issued instructions to the concerned officials for restoration of the Gram Panchayat of Adampur. Villagers had been protesting and demanding the same for the last over one month.

Although, Bishnoi announced it on Thursday, but about a week ago, he had informed villagers that he had met the CM who assured him that the demand shall be accepted.

Bishnoi had distanced himself from the party’s events ever since he was not made part of the revamped Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC). He had sought appointment to meet Rahul Gandhi, but he was not yet given time, Bishnoi’s close aides told The Indian Express.

Bishnoi is the only tall non-Jat leader within the Haryana Congress All the other top leaders in the party, including Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, his Rajya Sabha MP son Deepender Hooda, AICC spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala, former CLP leader Kiran Choudhry and her daughter Shruti Choudhry, all belong to the Jat community.

Bishnoi’s supporters said that Congress could barely get 15 seats in 2014. In 2016, HJC merged with the Congress. “It is only because of HJC’s 9% vote share that added to Congress’ vote share in Haryana. That was the reason that Congress’ vote share increased and it reached 31 seats in 2019 assembly polls”, one of his close aides said explaining Bishnoi’s importance for the party.

BJP MP Sunita Duggal said that Bishnoi had been associated with the party earlier too. “Since he has now met with the CM, good signals should emerge out of it. We welcome Kuldeep Bishnoi,” he said.

Party’s affairs incharge in Haryana, Vivek Bansal, however, said that “nothing much should be read into this meeting”. “I am in touch with Bishnoi. He must have met chief minister regarding the issues pertaining to his constituency. There is nothing more than that”.

On why Rahul Gandhi was not yet meeting Bishnoi, Bansal added that “all such issues shall soon be sorted out”.

However, Congress leaders are raising eyebrows on Kuldeep’s meetings with Khattar. “The manner in which the party is losing tall leaders like Sunil Jakhar, anything can be possible. If a leader like Kuldeep Bishnoi also goes out of party and joins hands with the BJP, it is surely going to impact the party’s prospects in Haryana,” a senior Congress leader said.

Party’s senior leader Randeep Surjewala had also come out in Bishnoi’s support and in a media briefing had even said that “Kuldeep Bishnoi would have been the best HPCC president”.

So far, Bishnoi has not attended any event of Haryana Congress. He neither participated in the party’s road show led by Hooda and Udai Bhan from Sonipat to Chandigarh, nor he attended Bhan and other working presidents’ investiture ceremony at the party office in Chandigarh. Despite being a member of the CWC, Bishnoi also did not attend Indian National Congress’ three-day Chintan Shivir at Udaipur.

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