Ahead of Haryana polls, Congress' BS Hooda meets loyalists to chalk out future course of action

Senior Congress leader and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday met his loyalists from the party in the national capital to chalk out his future course of action ahead of state Assembly polls.

The Congress leaders met to discuss the report submitted by a 33-member committee formed by Hooda to give him advice about his future political decisions.

Ahead of attending the meeting, Congress leader Anil Shorewala told ANI, "We are with Hooda whether he makes any other party or remains in the Congress. I am with Hooda wherever he goes. He is the only leader who can look after both agriculturist and traders."

Another Congress leader KV Singh said, "The decision will be taken concerning the people and in the spirit of democratic values."

Hooda had apparently struck a discordant note with the senior leadership for his criticism on the Congress' stand on the Centre's decision to abrogate Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

"When the government does something right, I always support it. Many of my colleagues opposed the Centre's decision to abrogate Article 370. They have lost their way. The Congress today is not the same as it used to be," Hooda had said while addressing 'Parivartan Maha rally' in Rohtak on August 18.

Following Congress' crushing defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, Haryana which is going to Assembly elections in a month is also facing trouble within the party. Many leaders are seeking the removal of the party's state chief Ashok Tanwar and renewed fighting in the ranks.

Trouble turned intense in the Congress's Haryana unit due to the debacle in general elections where the party failed to win a single seat out of a total of 10 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.

Haryana, where 90-Assembly seats are at stake, is scheduled to go to polls in October this year.