Haryana CM blasts Hooda family: 'Congress is anti-Dalit, does not want Selja to grow'

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Congress party, accusing it of being anti-Dalit and suppressing the leadership aspirations of senior Congress leader Kumari Selja.

In an exclusive interview with AajTak, Saini highlighted internal divisions within the Haryana Congress, claiming that the party is embroiled in deep infighting, preventing its leaders from even sharing a stage or displaying each other's photographs.

"If Kumari Selja, a respected figure, has indicated her willingness to lead, there should be no objection. But Congress is stuck in family politics and does not want to step outside that circle. This shows that Congress does not support the rise of leaders from outside the family," the chief minister said while speaking with India Today News Director Rahul Kanwal. 

Saini also accused the Congress of failing the Dalit community, referencing several incidents of violence and injustice against Dalits during Congress' rule in Haryana. He mentioned the Mirchpur, Gohana, Daulatpur, and Bhagana cases, where Dalits were subjected to atrocities, alleging that these issues were never addressed, and justice was denied. 

"One Dalit girl wanted to become a doctor, but she was brutally wronged and killed during Congress rule. Her dreams and those of her parents were crushed."

The chief minister criticised the Congress for sidelining Dalit leaders within the party, citing the case of former Haryana Congress President Ashok Tanwar, whose career was derailed. "Tanwar’s neck was broken, and not a single Congress leader visited him in the hospital. Whenever a Dalit leader rises in Congress, the party works to crush them," he said.

In October 2016, then Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar was attacked after a scuffle broke out between his and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's supporters. It was reported that the faction headed by Hooda was seeking the ouster of Tanwar as Pradesh Congress chief.

Currently, the Haryana Congress is divided into two factions - one led by Hooda, while the other by Kumari Selja.