CHANDIGARH: With just a year left for the general elections, and a little more than a year for Assembly polls, the rumblings of discontent within Haryana BJP are rising. Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers and Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit Singh has criticised the Manohar Lal Khattar government saying its performance could damage party MPs in the state in the 2019 parliamentary elections. He is apparently upset over denial of Smart City tag to Gurugram.
Slamming the CM for arriving late at a function in the city on Sunday, an angry Singh said: “I am saddened to say that I don’t have much expectation from your government in the upcoming polls of 2019. Hero Honda bypass was to be inaugurated, Central money was spent on it and you didn’t even inform me about delay in your arrival. You have a battery of officials who could have informed me about your late arrival. But I was made to wait. In future, please take care of this, else don’t invite us.” He blamed Khattar for non-inclusion of Gurugram in the Smart City list.
“I have to contest another election from Gurugram. I urge you to do something on this Smart City issue,” he said. Khattar, however, tried to play down the differences between him and Singh and said the MP could have raised his grievances behind closed doors and that he (Khattar) got delayed due to an invite from PM Narendra Modi. BJP sources said Singh is peeved as there is fear the party would not be able to repeat its performance in Haryana in the 2019 elections, especially in southern part of the state where it did exceedingly well last time due to Singh’s influence there. Singh was one of the aspirants of CM’s post after the BJP won the 2014 Assembly polls.
Singh’s strained ties with Khattar A Congressman earlier, four-time MP Rao Inderjit Singh had joined the BJP in 2014. This is not the first time he has criticised his own government. After the infamous Jat reservation agitation in which over 30 people died, Singh had expressed displeasure over the CM’s handling of the issue. Last year also, there was squabble between Khattar and Singh over Gurugram Mayor nominee