Sonia’s caste balance on Haryana poll eve

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 4

After much deliberation and delay, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi banked on a SC-Jat combination to power a moribund party in Haryana ahead of state polls.Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had taken a strong position against removing an SC as state chief.

Sonia Gandhi struck a balance today by replacing Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar, an SC, with a taller Dalit leader, Kumari Selja. To placate Hooda, who nearly threatened to part ways with the Congress if he wasn’t accommodated well, Sonia Gandhi brought him in as CLP chief and the chairman of the state election management committee, putting him in-charge of running elections. 

By making Hooda CLP chief, Sonia acceded to Hooda camp’s demand that he should have a say in candidates’ selection along with the state chief. AICC sources said by naming Selja and Hooda in new roles, Sonia had retained party’s SC and Jat balance and honoured Rahul Gandhi’s wish to ensure that a Dalit state chief continued.

Rahul has long been convinced that after the Jat agitation in Haryana, having a non-Jat state president would be wiser, more so as sitting Haryana CM ML Khattar is a non-Jat himself.

“The new announcements placate Hooda, install a tall woman Dalit leader at the helm in Haryana, take care of MLAs’ demands to replace Tanwar and strike a fair caste balance,” a top source said of the changes.