Videos of several BJP leaders’ apparent displeasure over not being picked to contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Haryana have surfaced on social media.
In one such video, Haryana OBC Morcha leader and former minister Karan Dev Kamboj refused to shake hands with Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini during a meeting, in front of several other party members. Chief Minister Saini had come over to talk to Mr Kamboj who was reportedly angry over being dropped from the party’s candidate list.
The clip shows the leader walking past a line of party leaders with folded hands, greeting everybody before he reaches the chief minister, who holds out his hand to shake. Mr Kamboj looks ahead, pulls his folded hands back and keeps walking, even as Mr Saini grabs his hand and tries to hold it.
Mr Kamboj takes his seat next to the chief minister but does not look at him. The leader also stepped down as state BJP’s OBC Morcha chief.
“Perhaps the BJP does not need loyalists anymore,” he said, adding the party is rewarding leaders with tickets who joined a day before while ignoring those who served it for years.
“कोई हाथ भी न मिलाएगा जो गले मिलोगे तपाक से
ये नए मिज़ाज का शहर है ज़रा फ़ासले से मिला करो।” – बशीर बद्र
टिकट न मिलने से नाराज़ हरियाणा ओबीसी मोर्चा के प्रदेश अध्यक्ष करण देव कांबोज को मनाने पहुँचे मुख्यमंत्री नायब सिंह सैनी से हाथ नहीं मिलाया कांबोज ने। pic.twitter.com/sVVSEi2mOh
— Akhilesh Sharma (@akhileshsharma1) September 6, 2024
In another video, senior BJP leader Kavita Jain broke down in tears at a meeting with her supporters in Sonipat after her name was dropped from the candidate list.
“I have not seen my daughter, who lives at a hostel, for two years. I have been working hard for the party for the last five years. She asked me about visiting home and I told her not to come before the elections,” she said as she wiped tears.
“We’re not upset about the party’s actions but we are sad about our dedication and 50 years of service to the party. If the organization had told us not to contest the next election but only work for the party, we would have followed that directive,” she said, addressing the other party workers.
Earlier today, a video showed BJP MLA Shashi Ranjan Parmar weeping after being asked about his name being excluded from the candidate list. Mr Parmar was presenting his claim for a BJP candidature from Bhiwani and Tosham in the state.
“I had thought that my name would be on the list..,” the leader says before he choked, broke down and started weeping.
The interviewer tried to comfort the leader by saying that the party will see his worth and so will his constituency. But the former MLA continues to cry.
“I had assured people that my name was being considered. What do I do now? I am helpless,” the wailing MLA can be heard saying.