Talks on HPCC, CLP take back seat; Cong leaders urged to intensify protests against Herald case

Chandigarh: Discussions on the organisational structure and the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) once again took a back seat as BK Hariprasad, AICC in-charge for Haryana, urged party leaders to intensify protests against the National Herald case and the amendments to the Waqf Act. The protests, he said, should begin at the booth level from April 25.
AICC general secretary and former Union minister Selja, along with Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala, were absent from the meeting, which was attended by a wide array of party members, including all the MLAs, four MPs, current and former HPCC presidents, and several former MLAs. The focus of the meeting was to mobilise leaders for the upcoming protests, showcasing their commitment to the cause.
While many in attendance were hopeful of receiving organisational or CLP-related updates, the meeting lasted only 40 minutes and did not delve into such matters. It was largely devoted to organising and strategising for the protests. HPCC president Udai Bhan welcomed participants and elaborated on the preparations, though only he and Hariprasad spoke during the session.
Hariprasad, acknowledging the lack of an effective organisational setup in Haryana, emphasised that senior leaders present at the meeting would need to take responsibility for making the anti-BJP campaign successful at all levels. In a motivating tone, he urged them to act as the party's face, reaching out to people at both the village and city levels. The objective was to educate the public on the constitutional distortions, the National Herald case, and the amendments to the Waqf Board.
Sources said that former CM Bhupinder Hooda and former Union minister Birender Singh were invited to provide suggestions for the success of the campaign. Singh recommended involving legal and subject matter experts to strengthen the campaign and suggested preparing jingles for wider reach.
Hooda, in turn, expressed strong support for the programme outlined by Hariprasad and discussed the details of previous agitations held in Chandigarh and other locations. He reaffirmed the preparedness of Congress leaders, including both sitting and former MLAs, to participate in the campaigns.
"It was mainly Hariprasad, Udai Bhan, Hooda, and Birender Singh who spoke, with others offering additional suggestions. The entire meeting concluded within an hour," said one senior Congress leader who participated in the meeting.
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