Gurnam Singh Charuni, chief of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), asserted on Sunday that farmers in Haryana established a “favorable atmosphere” for the Congress party, but the party failed to capitalize on it.
Charuni, who also founded the Sanyukt Sangharsh Party, attributed Congress’s defeat in the state primarily to former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. He stated, “The atmosphere we created for Congress was due to us, the farmers, but the party couldn’t make the best out of it.”
Criticizing Congress, Charuni claimed the party mirrored the BJP’s approach and did not support farmers adequately. He pointedly remarked, “Hooda is the biggest reason for Congress’s defeat because he did not compromise with anyone, and the party placed all the responsibility on him.”
He issued a stern warning to Congress leadership, advising them against entrusting Hooda with future responsibilities if they wish to secure the position of Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Haryana Assembly. “If you want to become the Leader of Opposition, do not give the responsibility to Bhupendra Singh Hooda,” Charuni asserted.
Reflecting on Hooda’s performance over the last decade, Charuni criticized him for failing to act as an effective opposition leader. “The farmers’ union played the role of the opposition, not Hooda,” he added.
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Charuni revealed that he had warned the Congress party before the Assembly elections that Hooda would lead them to failure. He also noted that Hooda had previously promised farmers a ticket during the Lok Sabha elections but later reneged on that promise. “If Hooda had compromised with Abhay Chautala and given him a ticket, Congress would have won nine seats in Haryana,” Charuni claimed.
Furthermore, he accused Hooda of sidelining key figures within Congress and its allies. “He sidelined Ramesh Dalal, who fought for Rajiv Gandhi’s murder case, as well as Harsh Chhikara, Balraj Kundu, Kumari Selja, Kiran Choudhary, and Randeep Singh Surjewala. He even sidelined the Aam Aadmi Party, Abhay Chautala, and me, despite our support,” Charuni said.
He emphasized that both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi had indicated that priority should be given to farmer leaders in elections. “Rahul had stated that priority should be given to farmer leaders, and Priyanka mentioned the benefits of including them,” he asserted.
Concluding his criticism, Charuni remarked, “In sidelining everyone, Hooda ultimately sidelined himself. God has now sidelined him, too.”