Sanmeet Singh Thind, Hisar9 minutes ago
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CM Manohar Lal talking during a public dialogue in Sirsa and security personnel taking out the AAP leader at his behest.
BJP’s strategy of conducting ‘public dialogue’ with CM Manohar Lal Khattar before the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Haryana has come under question. The reason for this is the recent controversy in Sirsa. In which a woman sarpanch took out a scarf from her head and threw it at the feet of the CM. In the public dialogue, the CM asked an AAP leader to be beaten up and thrown out.
Instead of the purpose of direct connect with the people, the opponents are getting opportunities to be the attackers through public dialogue. Sirsa district has always been a challenge for the BJP anyway. In an attempt to find political ground, now after the controversy in the CM’s public dialogue, political trouble seems to be increasing. Contrary to the intention of the CM and the strategy of the party, the BJP is facing criticism.
Read 3 controversies in 3 days in Haryana CM’s public address
May 13- During CM’s public dialogue in Khairekan, AAP leaders wanted to hand over the demand letter to CM. However, he raised slogans for not meeting the CM. The police forcefully picked him up from the public dialogue program and took him into custody. During this, the police also hit the poles. On speaking on intoxication, the CM silenced a woman and said that you come after learning, sit quietly.
Police arresting AAP leaders on the first day of public dialogue.
May 14- Farmers wanted to meet the CM during the public dialogue in Dabwali. Seeing the previous uproar, the police stopped. When the dispute escalated, the police lathi-charged the farmers. Some farmers also suffered injuries in this dispute. When AAP leader Kuldeep Gadrana started speaking in the public dialogue, the CM said that he is an Aam Aadmi Party worker, take him away, beat him, he has come to do politics.
Police stopped the farmers trying to meet the CM.
May 15- Sarpanch of Bani village Naina Jhorad reached the stage. She had gone to complain about the quarrel of the former sarpanch. There suddenly Naina took out her scarf and threw it at CM’s feet. Seeing this, the women police stationed there caught hold of Naina and forced her down from the stage.
See 2 pictures of this case…
Woman sarpanch Naina Jhord throwing her scarf at the feet of the CM on the stage.
Female policeman holding the sarpanch and taking him down from the stage.
Why is Sirsa a challenge for the BJP?
There are 5 assembly constituencies in Sirsa district. There is not a single BJP MLA among them. Congress in Dabwali, INLD in Ellenabad, Halopa in Sirsa, Congress in Kalanwali and Independent MLA Ranjit Singh Chautala from Raniya. Ranjit Chautala is involved in the government and is also a minister, but it is not of much use to the BJP.
Since the 2019 elections, the BJP has been steadily weakening in Sirsa. After the Setia family quit the BJP a few months before the assembly elections, the party is left with no mass base leader in the Sirsa assembly seat.
This can be gauged from the fact that despite the wave in the 2019 assembly elections, the party’s candidate Pradeep Ratusaria finished third. While independent candidate Gokul Setia finished second and lost to Halopa MLA Gopal Kanda by just 600 votes.
Pawan Bainiwal, who had contested elections twice from Ellenabad constituency during the farmer’s movement, left the party and joined the Congress. Sirsa’s Halopa MLA Gopal Kanda’s brother Govind Kanda joined the party and contested on a BJP ticket and came second.
MLA Gopal Kanda is giving outside support to the party. Kanda is known for his opportunistic politics. He was once the Home Minister in Hooda’s government.
Why is BJP restless about Sirsa?
One year is left for the Lok Sabha elections in Haryana. Assembly elections are also to be held in one and a half years. There is a fear of anti-incumbency from where BJP MLAs are. The BJP wants to compensate for this with new seats. There is no MLA of BJP in Sirsa, so tried to gamble there. There is also a leadership crisis ahead of the BJP.
At present, only BJP district president Aditya Chautala is the only candidate in Dabwali seat who has a political presence of his own. At the same time, Sunita Duggal is BJP’s MP from here. But apart from the performance of the MP, the anti-incumbency of the state government can affect the Lok Sabha candidate.
Old leaders also got angry
Even the old leaders of BJP did not get attention in the CM’s public dialogue program in Sirsa. The BJP entrusted the command of these programs to the new youth and its trusted leaders. These angry leaders did not participate in the welcome program at the CM’s airport. To express their displeasure, they also held a meeting at the house of a former woman chairperson in the city.
In which, representing a group of angry BJP leaders, a former chairman also administered the oath of not attending the programme. Because of which no leader met the CM for three days. On the other hand, according to BJP sources, the political existence of these leaders has been known from the party’s defeat in the 2019 assembly elections itself. For this reason the CM did not give them preference.
Who benefits from the public dialogue controversy in Sirsa?
INLD sees the first advantage. This is the stronghold of former CM Omprakash Chautala and his MLA son Abhay Chautala. He holds 10 Zilla Parishad seats out of 24 in Sirsa and the post of chairman. Although INLD has only one MLA in Haryana, Abhay Chautala. In such a situation, INLD wants to move forward with full force in the 2024 assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
The second benefit will be to the Congress. Congress is the main opposition party in Haryana. Congress won 31 seats in 2019 as against 15 seats in 2014. In such a situation, due to anti-incumbency, they can get benefit as the largest party.
Aam Aadmi Party is at number three. Out of 24 Zilla Parishad in Sirsa, AAP won 6 seats. In such a situation, he can register a big presence from Sirsa in the assembly elections.
Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) will also not lag behind at number four. She is in the government with the BJP but if she contests separately in Sirsa, being a member of the Chautala family will benefit from the clout of Ajay Chautala and his deputy CM son Dushyant Chautala.