Bishnoi's MLA-wife Renuka rakes up controversy

Haryana Janhit Congress MLA Renuka Bishnoi has raked up a controversy by unilaterally declaring that if HJC-BJP alliance is voted to power after October Assembly elections, the saffron party's national spokesman Capt Abhimanyu will be made chief minister for half the term after HJC chief Kuldeep Bishnoi completes his.
Renuka said this while addressing an election rally at Narnaund near here yesterday to seek votes for sitting MP from Hisar and her husband Kuldeep Bishnoi.
Abhimanyu was also present at the rally. He was a frontrunner for Lok Sabha ticket from Rohtak, but was ignored as the BJP named another leader Om Prakash Dhankar from there.

BJP's state unit chief Ram Bilas Sharma had earlier declared that he would be chief minister for the second half tenure after Kuldeep Bishnoi.
As per an earlier arrangement between the HJC and BJP, Bishnoi would be the chief minister for half the tenure out of five year term, if the alliance is voted to power in Haryana, but the saffron party high command has so far not declared who will be their party's future CM in this arrangement.
"This area (referring to Kuldeep and Abhimanyu) would have two chief ministers and the development will be done at double pace," Renuka, the MLA from Adampur here, said.

She appealed to the people to vote for Kuldeep in the parliamentary polls, which will be held in Haryana for all the ten seats on April 10.

The fallout of Renuka's announcement with regards to power-sharing adjustment was immediate as after the rally got over former Haryana minister Jaswant Singh Khandewala, who had last week joined HJC in the presence of Kuldeep and former chief parliamentary secretary Dura Ram, declared to quit HJC along with his supporters alleging that the party did not have respect for senior leaders.
Jaswant said Renuka has no authority to declare Abhimanyu's name.
"It is the matter of BJP high command to decide any name of party chief minister in future," he told reporters.

According to HJC sources, there have been friction between the party and BJP in recent times over some issues including the saffron party's senior leaders blocking the entry of former Union Minister and Congress leader Venod Sharma into HJC.
Sharma, who recently quit the Congress, was all set to join the HJC and become its candidate from Karnal Lok Sabha seat, before the BJP put its foot down directing Bishnoi not to take him into the party.