Chandigarh: A day after senior leader and Panipat MLA Balbir Pal Shah`s resignation, factional feud in Haryana Congress on Monday intensified with another legislator Rajpal Bhukhri threatening to quit, accusing Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda of "regional bias" in development works.
Bhukhri, an MLA of Sadhaura constituency in Yamunanagar district, claimed that a number of ruling Congress MLAs were "dissatisfied with Hooda`s style of functioning."
Speaking to reporters at Yamunanagar, Bhukhri claimed that development works under Hooda`s rule have been limited to only Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonepat.
Rohtak-Jhajjar are part of Hooda`s constituency and is also represented in the Lok Sabha by his son Deepinder Singh.
"There is growing resentment among Congress MLAs about this bias. Haryana government`s maximum funds are spend in Rohtak-Jhajjar region," the MLA alleged.
Threatening to quit as legislator over this alleged bias and also in giving jobs, he said he would seek feedback from the people of his constituency before taking a final decision.
"I am prepared to resign, but will talk to my people first," he said.
The sudden political developments in Congress are seen as flexing of muscles by the anti-Hooda camp, which includes the Chief Minister`s known detractors like Birender Singh and Rajya Sabha MP, Ishwar Singh.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Sonepat today, Haryana Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Sharma said he had given a week`s time to Balbir Pal Shah and asked him to meet him in Chandigarh.
"Shah had submitted his resignation to me yesterday. I have given him a week`s time as he has not cited an reason for his step," the Speaker said.
Meanwhile, Haryana Congress president Phool Chand Mullana
today dismissed charges that the Hooda-government was biased in carrying out development works and maintained that the state had witnessed all-round development under Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
He also stressed that the party was united and all leaders will unitedly fight the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and termed Shah`s resignation as "pressure tactics".
Earlier, Shah had made it clear that he had not severed ties with the Congress, but fumed that people of Panipat had been betrayed by their own government, which had promised to develop the industrial town on Gurgaon`s pattern.
The MLA had refuted reports that his resignation had anything to do with his meeting with senior Congress leader Birender Singh, a known detractor of Hooda.
Shah`s resignation, assumed significance as it came just a fortnight ahead of Congress president Sonia Gandhi`s visit to the state on August 20.
The ruling Congress in Haryana has 46 MLAs in the 90-member House and if Shah`s resignation is accepted, its number will come down to 45, but it still enjoys the support of seven Independents and a lone BSP member.
The opposition in Assembly include INLD`s 30, SAD`s 1, BJP`s 4 and HJC`s 1 members.
PTI
