New Delhi [India], October 5 : Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Paryty (BJP) leader Giriraj Singh on Friday criticised Congress for not declaring Kumari Selja as the Chief Ministerial candidate for Haryana, accusing the party of discriminating against her due to her caste.
"Congress has abused Kumari Selja over her caste... The SC community is upset that Selja was not named as the CM candidate. Rahul Gandhi must clarify whether the Haryana unit belongs to him or to Hooda," Singh told ANI.
He expressed confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party would secure victory in the upcoming Haryana assembly elections.
"The BJP will win Haryana. It doesn't seem like it's Rahul Gandhi's Congress party anymore; it looks more like Hooda's Congress," he added.
Earlier on Friday, Congress MP Kumari Selja denied rumours of being "upset" with party leaders over decisions made regarding the Haryana elections. She emphasised that her trust remains with the Congress leadership, though she noted a lack of consultation with local leaders by the committees responsible for ticket distribution.
"Madam ji (Sonia Gandhi) is not as involved as she used to be. When she was party president, she was fully in command. Recently, Rahul was also abroad. During this time, the ticket distribution committees didn't handle things properly. They should have consulted more, but they didn't, which is why they fell short," Selja explained in an interview with ANI.
She also dismissed suggestions of internal bargaining over the Chief Minister position, reiterating her loyalty to the Gandhi family. "What bargaining? In Congress, our faith ultimately lies with the high command. I stand with them and will continue to do so. They are aware of my position."
Haryana will hold elections on October 5 to elect its 90-member state legislative assembly, with counting scheduled for October 8.