Despite Rahul’s call for unity, Hooda camp skips Brijendra’s yatra in Jhajjar

Jhajjar: Fresh cracks appeared in the Haryana Congress as several party leaders considered close to Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the leader of the opposition in the Haryana assembly, stayed away from Brijendra Singh's ‘Sadbhavana Yatra' on Sunday despite public endorsement of the campaign by Rahul Gandhi.The ‘Sadbhavana Yatra' conducted by the former MP entered its 225th day on Sunday.The yatra traversed the Badli assembly constituency on Saturday before covering Beri and Jhajjar segments on Sunday. However, instead of showcasing organisational unity, the march appeared to expose the deepening factional divide within the state Congress unit.Badli MLA Kuldeep Vats remained absent from the programme even as Haryana Congress president Rao Narender Singh joined the yatra during its passage through the constituency.The Jhajjar district Congress chief also skipped the event, adding to speculation that the absence of local party representatives was politically significant rather than incidental.The absence of certain party representatives has drawn public attention as Rahul Gandhi had personally joined the yatra during its Gurugram leg and publicly declared that Congress MLAs, MPs and party workers from every constituency, through which the march passes, should participate in the campaign.Calling it a "party yatra", Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, had attempted to position the campaign as an organisational exercise rather than an individual political initiative.Despite Rahul's message, none of the Congress MLAs from Jhajjar district participated in the yatra, triggering political chatter over whether the Hooda camp deliberately chose to distance itself from Brijendra Singh's outreach campaign.Political observers said these developments had once again highlighted competing power centres within the Haryana Congress.Speaking to TOI, Rao Narender Singh said Congress leaders were expected to follow Rahul Gandhi's directions and hinted that disciplinary action could be considered if party instructions were ignored."Rahul Gandhi is among the senior-most leaders of the Congress party. It is the responsibility of every party functionary to follow organisational directions. The high command will decide what action needs to be taken if someone chooses not to comply," he said.Hooda had earlier maintained that the ‘Sadbhavana Yatra' was not an official Congress programme but a personal initiative of a party worker. The former CM had also indicated that he had no intention to participate in it.Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda, whose Lok Sabha constituency includes areas through which the yatra is passing, had also declined to comment on the issue.Brijendra Singh, however, insisted that Rahul Gandhi had clearly appealed to Congress leaders and workers to join the campaign and said a formal communication in this regard had also been issued."There are 35 Congress MLAs in Haryana, but only three have participated in the yatra so far. Everyone was invited when the campaign began. Whether they join or not is their decision. Our responsibility is to continue the yatra," said Brijendra Singh.He further said the yatra was now in its final phase with only a few days remaining, but Rahul Gandhi's appeal had failed to translate into visible participation on the ground.When contacted, the AICC in charge of Haryana, B K Hariprasad, said no formal complaint regarding the issue had reached him so far. "I have not received any complaint yet. Once a complaint comes, we will see what needs to be done. At this stage, I do not want to comment because I am not aware of who has said what," he said.The incident has once again underlined the uneasy internal dynamics within the Haryana Congress, with the ‘Sadbhavana Yatra' emerging as the latest flashpoint in the party's continuing factional politics.