'NGOs have better access to Rahul Gandhi': Top Congress leader says OBCs have no representation in CEC, CWC

Captain Ajay Singh Yadav, chairman of the Congress party's OBC department, held several leaders responsible for the humiliating defeat the party suffered in the assembly polls in Haryana. According to him, the party's Haryana in-charge Deepak Babariya was a 'confused man', who should have assigned his responsibility to someone else as he was unwell. He also flagged some mistakes while distributing tickets, concentration of power, and no representation of OBCs in the key decision-making bodies.

"I am the OBC Chairman, and in that capacity, I believe that the OBC Chairman, along with SC-ST leaders, should be invited to the Extended Working Committee meetings. You can't compare the SC-ST and OBC departments with others, such as the Hindi or Professional Departments. These things need to change with time, and the party needs to evolve its strategies and functioning," Yadav said during a discussion with a TV channel. 

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has put OBCs, SC, and STs at the top of his priority list, and it helped him in the Lok Sabha elections. However, Yadav pointed out that these talks need to be implemented on the ground.

The OBC department chairman said he had recommended 15-16 candidates for tickets in the assembly polls, but only 2-3 persons were accommodated. He suggested that people from his community would align with him only if they believed that he also had a say in the party.     

"There are 11 seats in our area (the Ahirwal region), which is dominated by Yadavs. We won only one seat there, and that too went to a Gurjar candidate, Manju Chaudhary. Six of our candidates were Yadavs, and we lost all six. In Madhya Pradesh, they (BJP) made a Yadav the Chief Minister. They introduced a new model. Mohan Yadav came here to campaign. You should prioritise OBCs, give power to the OBC chairman. Now, election is due in Maharashtra. I'll go there. As OBC Chairman, if I recommend 10 winning candidates and three or four get tickets, only then will people align with me," the Congress leader said. 

The senior leader, who has also served as union forest minister, said the CWC (Congress Working Committee), CEC (Central Election Committee), and Extended Committee — none of them include an OBC representative from Haryana. He stated that SC, ST, minority, and OBC representatives should be given a place in the Extended Working Committee. 

"If I'm not there in CEC and CWC, where will the workers go? They'll go to Randeep Surjewala because he's a CWC member, or Selja, or Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who is the CLP (Congress Legislative Party) leader, or Uday Bhan, the PCC president. But without representation at these levels, how can we expect to get OBC votes? OBCs are drifting away from us because I was denied ticket (in the Lok Sabha) from Gurgaon, and instead it was given to Raj Babbar. Kiran Chaudhary’s ticket was canceled, and she was told that it wouldn’t matter if she left the party. Yet, she won four seats (in assembly polls) from Bhiwani."

Yadav also pointed to accessibility issue, which he suggested was controlled by leaders like Jairam Ramesh. He said NGO leaders like Yogender Yadav have better access to Rahul Gandhi than a party leader. "Jairam Ramesh Ji facilitates NGO leaders meetings with Rahul Ji whenever needed. People like Yogendra Yadav also get access and meet the leadership easily. There are many others I can name. There seems to be a phobia within the party that everything can be achieved through NGOs, and there is declining trust in our own party members. NGOs enjoy better accessibility than we do."

Speaking on lapses while distributing tickets, the senior leader said that Sharda Rathore was a good candidate from Ballabhgarh, but she wasn't given a ticket. Chitra Sarwara, he added, was also a strong contender from Ambala Cantt, but she too was denied a ticket.

"I can give you at least 15 examples of winnable candidates whose tickets were canceled. Ramesh Saini, who is our chairman from Jind, was denied a ticket despite being a winnable candidate. If you don’t give tickets to our own leaders, how can we expect to win? And instead, the candidate who was given the ticket lost badly." "In Maharashtra elections, I will be involved. If the candidates I recommend receive tickets, it will show that the party values OBC leadership," he said. 

Yadav said that the party leadership needs to increase accessibility. "The talk about representing OBCs must be implemented on the ground. The heads of the OBC, SC, ST, and minority departments must be included in the Extended Working Committee. That’s where they can present their views effectively. Even if we manage to secure three or four additional tickets through these discussions, it will strengthen our connection with OBC voters. Otherwise, why would they align with us?"