Haryana’s Adampur MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi, who was expelled from all party posts by the Congress after cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections in June, is set to join the BJP on August 4, sources close to him said. Sources said Bishnoi, who is the younger son of former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal, is likely to resign from the MLA post before joining the BJP. Bishnoi also indicated on Tuesday that he was joining the BJP.
Bishnoi tweeted on Tuesday, “August 4th 2022, 10.10 am,” which was soon followed by another tweet by him, “Don’t be afraid to start. This time is your chance to make something better.” In recent weeks, Bishnoi had held meetings with top BJP leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief JP Nadda and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. A week ago, Bishnoi had met Nadda and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Delhi and discussed political issues with them.
On July 10, Bishnoi met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Nadda in Delhi. After meeting BJP leaders, Bishnoi praised him fiercely.
The 53-year-old MLA was expelled from all party posts by the Congress last month. Since then, he has been heating up the BJP.
Former Haryana chief minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda has said in recent weeks on his frequent meetings with BJP leaders and the possibility of going to the party that the Adampur MLAs are free to take their own decisions, but should resign. As a legislator before doing so. Bishnoi, a four-time MLA and two-time MP, has been upset ever since the Congress ignored him for the post of Haryana unit president during a reform earlier this year.
The party appointed Hooda loyalist Uday Bhan as the chief of its Haryana unit. After cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha election in June, Bishnoi had posted a cryptic tweet saying, “I know how to crush a snake’s hood. I don’t leave the forest for fear of snakes.” On his expulsion from the party, Bishnoi had earlier said that there are rules for some Congress leaders and exceptions for some. Rules apply selectively. Indiscipline has been repeatedly ignored in the past. In my case, I listened to my soul and acted on my ethics.
The Congress, which is the main opposition party in Haryana, was assured a Rajya Sabha seat based on the number of MLAs in the 90-member assembly. However, Congress candidate Ajay Maken failed to secure a berth after Bishnoi’s cross-vote, while an MLA’s vote was declared invalid. BJP’s Krishan Lal Panwar and saffron party-backed Independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma were elected to two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana.
Bishnoi and his father Bhajan Lal had formed the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) in 2007, when the Congress chose Bhupinder Singh Hooda for the chief minister’s post after the party’s thumping victory in the assembly elections. The HJC later forged an alliance with the BJP and two other parties, which jointly contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Haryana. They were also supposed to contest the assembly elections together, but the alliance broke down. About six years ago, Bishnoi returned to the Congress fold. However, despite his return to the Congress, Bishnoi and Hooda never had a cordial relationship.
(with inputs from PTI)
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