Cong downplays resignation of Birender Singh from Haryana

Putting up a brave face in the wake of mounting rebellion in the party poll-bound Haryana, Congress today downplayed the meeting its senior leader Chaudhary Birender Singh had with BJP chief Amit Shah.
"I had also seen pictures of Singh meeting Shah. I am not aware that for what purpose he met him. Whether it was personal or some other matter. I will try to talk to him," party general secretary Shakeel Ahmed, who is in-charge for Haryana, told reporters here.
Chaudhary's meeting with Shah comes a fortnight after he had a meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
He is a known detractor of Harayana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda against whom dissidence is growing in a section of the party since the Lok Sabha polls in which Congress could secure only one of ten seats.

Ahmed also downplayed the resignation Haryana Power Minister Ajay Singh Yadav from the cabinet.
"Ajay Singh Yadav has said he will not leave the party. Of course, he has quit the state cabinet. I will be talking to him today," the Congress leader said.

The six-time MLA from Rewari yesterday resigned from the ministry and attacked Hooda for "failing to learn lessons" from the Lok Sabha election debacle.
On Hooda asking him to reconsider his decision, Yadav told PTI "I am going to meet my leaders in Delhi. I will not like to speak anything on this issue now before meeting my leaders".

To a question about sulking Maharashtra leader Narayan Rane, Ahmed said he has met Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and some central leaders of the party.
Asked about communal clashes in Saharanpur, he asked the Uttar Pradesh government to sternly deal with such situations to prevent its recurrence and regretted "unfortunately some parties exist in our political life which try to fan communalism".
He also urged the Centre to take steps to evacuate Indians trapped in Libya.