Union Minister and senior BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar
Chandigarh: Union Minister and senior BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar has asked senior Congress leader and MP Kumari Selja, a prominent Dalit face, to join the saffron party, amid reports that she was staying away from the campaign for the October 5 Haryana assembly polls.
Khattar, the former Haryana chief minister, also pointed towards the alleged infighting in the state unit of Congress ahead of the assembly polls.
Khattar was addressing a gathering in Gharaunda in support of BJP nominee Harvinder Kalyan on Friday evening.
"There is so much infighting there (in Haryana Congress) and there is no clarity about their chief ministerial face. There is a fight between the father and the son (Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Deepender Hooda). The father says he will become the CM while son says he will. Besides them, other leaders also have desire (for the CM post)," he said.
"There is our Dalit sister... sitting at home. A large section of people are today thinking about what they should do. Many people were upset with them and we brought them into the party fold. We are ready with an offer and if (she) comes, we are ready to induct her," Khattar said.
Later, when the media asked about whether Kumari Selja will join the BJP, Khattar replied, "It is a world of possibilities and possibilities cannot be ruled out and therefore, everything will be known when the right time comes." The BJP has been targeting the Congress over the alleged factionalism issue in its state unit.
A few days ago, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram had said that there was no dissidence in the Haryana Congress.
"My good friend (Kumari) Selja ji has not said a single word against Mr (Bhupinder Singh) Hooda, nor has Mr Hooda said a word against Ms Selja. So we are a united party. We will fight this election in a united manner," Chidambaram had said.