Ajay Yadav warns Congress for naming Rao Narender Singh Haryana chief

Chandigarh: Shortly after the Congress on Monday appointed Rao Narender Singh as the new president of its Haryana unit, senior leader Capt Ajay Singh Yadav hit out, saying the party needs to introspect on its "falling graph" in the state.

Naming former Haryana minister Singh as the next state unit chief, the Congress picked up the OBC leader from the Ahirwal belt.

The party also appointed 78-year-old former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda as the CLP leader in the state, with the appointments coming nearly a year after the party failed to wrest power from the BJP.

Singh is considered close to Hooda.

Shortly after Rao's appointment, Yadav reacted sharply.

"The Congress needs to introspect regarding the falling graph of party in Haryana... Rahul Gandhi Ji wanted Haryana Congress President who should have clean, spotless image and youth but decision is reverse @RahulGandhi @HariprasadBK2 the party cadre morale is at its lowest level," Yadav said in a post on X late Monday evening.

Yadav, along with another senior Congress leader and MP Kumari Selja, is considered Hooda's bete noire.

In April, Yadav had alleged that he had been "unceremoniously removed" as chairman of the AICC OBC department and smelled a conspiracy behind the move.

The Congress had then appointed Anil Jaihind as the chairman of the AICC OBC department, replacing Yadav.

On October 17, 2024, Yadav had said he was quitting the party and also resigning as chairman of AICC's OBC department.

Yadav had then said he was disillusioned with the party high command "for treating me shabbily after Sonia Gandhi left the post of Congress president".

However, on October 19 last year, two days after he had announced quitting the Congress, Yadav took a "U-turn" and said he was "Congressman by birth" and would remain "Congressman till his last breath".

Monday's appointments made in the state unit came nearly a year after the party failed to wrest power from the BJP.

In polls conducted on October 5, 2024, the BJP secured an unprecedented third term in the state, winning 48 seats in the 90-member Assembly. The Congress won 37 seats.

Singh (62), a former state health minister hailing from Narnaul, replaces Udai Bhan, who was appointed president of the state unit in April 2022.

Singh, a former MLA, also had a brief stint with the erstwhile Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC).

His appointment is seen to expand the party's influence among the OBCs, especially in the south Haryana belt, which has emerged as the BJP's stronghold in the previous elections and also to counter the influence which rival leaders from the saffron party including Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh yield in the area.

Notably, the BJP has a prominent face from the OBC community in Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

In 2009, when the then Congress government headed by Hooda had failed to get a majority in the assembly elections on its own, Singh, who was then with the erstwhile HJC party, had switched over and extended support, enabling Hooda to return to power for a second consecutive term.

After failing to get a majority in 2009, Hooda managed to form government after five HJC (BL) MLAs including Singh had deserted their party and merged with the Congress, which also got the support of seven Independents and a lone BSP member.

Earlier on October 18, 2024, the Haryana Congress Legislature Party (CLP), which held its first meeting here after the assembly poll results were announced on October 8, passed a resolution authorising the party high command to appoint its next leader in the house, the appointment of which was made on Monday with Hooda being made the CLP leader.

The ruling BJP had on past several occasions taken a dig at the Congress, saying they were even unable to decide who would be the leader of opposition (LoP).

It will be after nearly a year that the Congress will have an LoP now.

Hooda had also served as an LoP previously. Most of the Congress MLAs in Haryana are considered close to Hooda.

The former Haryana chief minister, who represents Garhi-Sampla Kiloi in the present Assembly, was a four-time MP from Rohtak earlier and even defeated former deputy prime minister Devi Lal from the parliamentary seat in the 1990s.