Hooda loyalists' panel formed with former minister Chatha as chairman

Former Haryana minister H S Chatha will be chairman of the 36-member committee which will decide the future course of action for the group led by disgruntled Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda in the party.

The former chief minister had announced the formation of the panel at his Rohtak rally on Sunday.

Initially declared to be a 25-member panel of his loyalists, 36 members were named to the committee on Friday with former minister H S Chatha as chairman.

"The committee members will work to oust the ruling BJP in the assembly polls so that a pro-people regime, which cares for the welfare of all sections, is formed," a press release from Hooda's office said on Friday evening.

Besides Chatha, other members of the committee are former state Congress chiefs Dharampal Malik and Phool Chand Mullana, sitting legislators Kuldeep Sharma, Karan Singh Dalal, Anand Singh Dangi, Geeta Bhukkal, Shakuntala Khatak and Lalit Nagar besides former minister Sampat Singh and former MP Shadi Lal Batra.

On Tuesday, Hooda had told PTI that he would abide by the decision of the committee for his faction.

On Sunday, Hooda had raised eyebrows by slamming the Congress stand on the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir's special status, saying it had "lost its way" and was no longer the party it used to be.

At the Rohatk rally, the Congress leader had announced that he would form a committee to decide the future course of action for his faction, which has been demanding that Hooda be made the state Congress chief, replacing Ashok Tanwar.

Reacting to Hooda's announcement, state Congress president Ashok Tanwar had said the statements and actions of the former chief minister, including the decision to form the committee, was an "act of indiscipline".

Tanwar had said the committee had no sanctity as only the All-India Congress Committee could form any panel.