Former Haryana minister quits party after dropping bombshell

Sampat told The Indian Express that he was feeling relieved but did not open his cards. “I will consider what to do next tomorrow (Monday) morning. As of now, I’m feeling relieved.”

In his resignation letter, Sampat levelled serious charges against party leadership over “mishandling” the 2024 Assembly elections. “Close aides of state leadership, fielded as Independents to ensure defeat of Congress candidates, altered narratives in multiple constituencies.” “Capable candidates were ignored, and those with money and power were given tickets,” he claimed in the letter.

Sampat also highlighted how senior leaders, including former CM Bhajan Lal, his son Kuldeep Bishnoi, former CM Bansi Lal’s daughter-in-law Kiran Choudhry, and Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh, were “forced to leave” the Haryana Congress over the past two decades.

The Congress denied Sampat a ticket to contest the 2019 Haryana Assembly elections. Feeling humiliated, he joined the BJP soon after, only to return to the Congress fold in August 2022.

But, yet again, the Congress denied him a ticket from either of the constituencies of Adampur or Nalwa in Hisar district, which he had sought to contest the 2024 Assembly elections.

In September, Singh attended an INLD rally in Rohtak organised to commemorate the birth anniversary of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal, fuelling speculations about his possible return to the party fold. Before joining the Congress in 2009, Singh was with the INLD. He was considered close to none other than Devi Lal and wielded considerable clout over the INLD affairs.

After winning the 2009 Assembly election from the Nalwa constituency on a Congress ticket, Sampat was denied a Cabinet berth in the Hooda government.

“I was assured the Fatehabad Assembly seat, but assigned Nalwa instead. The people of Nalwa, however, placed their trust in my ethics and commitment, and elected me as their representative in the Haryana Assembly. But Congress lost the Fatehabad seat, a direct result of public resentment over my shift to Nalwa despite winning Fatehabad five times. My entry helped the Congress win about half a dozen additional seats in regions where I had political influence,” he wrote.

“Despite my contribution and experience, I was denied a cabinet berth or any organisational role. I later learned that this was because I had met Kumari Selja after the elections, and her ministry (as then Union minister) had approved a Rs 18 crore grant for my constituency,” he said.

Singh stated, “During the Lok Sabha elections, Dalit voters overwhelmingly supported the Congress, helping it secure five crucial seats. Yet, driven by arrogance and family interests, the state leadership chose to marginalise Kumari Selja, a six-term MP and the tallest Dalit woman leader of the party. Instead of recognising her stature and contributions, the leadership allowed casteist remarks and derogatory videos against her to circulate and sidelined her loyal supporters and deserving candidates. The ensuing resentment led to a Dalit boycott of the Congress — a clear rejection of a leadership disconnected from ground realities.”

“In 2024, I was appointed coordinator for the Lok Sabha elections in Sirsa constituency, where Kumari Selja was contesting as the Congress candidate. Due to my sincere efforts for her victory, the party’s state leadership felt insecure. In the same year, I attended Kumari Selja’s rally in Narnaund, which angered the state leadership. Later that year, I was again denied a party ticket, and the Congress lost Nalwa once again,” he said.

Singh said that the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections should serve as a case study for the Congress, as despite “every survey, media outlet, and informal assessment predicting a Congress victory, the party suffered defeat, a result that came as no surprise to those aware of the persistent decay within the organisation. Since 2009, the party has ignored every warning sign as its fortunes steadily declined”.

Taking a veiled dig at Hooda, Singh said, “The state leadership consolidated its personal political power. In 2020, when a Rajya Sabha seat fell vacant, instead of promoting a deserving member from the Scheduled or Backward Castes, the leader’s own son (Deepender Singh Hooda) was nominated, turning a national party into a regional family enterprise.” “Even Randeep Singh Surjewala, a four-term MLA and INC General Secretary, had to be nominated from Rajasthan due to factionalism. Later, Ajay Maken, Congress treasurer, lost the Rajya Sabha election from Haryana, another reflection of the leadership crisis,” Singh alleged.

Raising questions over the recent appointments of Hooda as the Leader of the Opposition and Rao Narender Singh as the state Congress president, Singh wrote, “After the 2024 election defeat, Rahul Gandhi himself acknowledged that the state leadership had prioritised personal interests over the party. Yet, once again, the same leadership was retained. Under these circumstances, I have lost my faith in the Congress’s ability to represent the interests of the people of Haryana. As a proud Haryanvi, I cannot let my people down. My commitment to Haryana remains steadfast, but my faith in the current INC leadership does not. Therefore, I am constrained to tender my resignation from the Indian National Congress.”

Sources close to Sampat said he had been feeling suffocated in the Congress for the past several months.

Seeking to downplay Sampat’s resignation, Haryana Congress media chairman Kewal Dhingra said, “Leaving or joining a party is a personal choice.”

Denying the accusations Sampat has levelled, Dhingra said, “If a person doesn’t get a ticket, he will certainly say something before leaving the party. He had left other parties earlier, too, when a ticket was denied.”

Describing the Congress as “a sinking ship,” Haryana BJP spokesperson Sanjay Sharma said, “Congress is just a collection of groups, not a political party.”

INLD spokesperson Rakesh Sihag welcomed Sampat’s decision.

— With PTI inputs