Haryana Congress MLA Gokul Setia Plans Protest Over Rajya Sabha Cross-Voting Controversy
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Chandigarh, March 18 (NationPress) Haryana Congress legislator Gokul Setia has declared a protest outside the state Congress headquarters in Chandigarh on Wednesday in response to the cross-voting during the recent Rajya Sabha elections and the annulment of votes cast by Congress MLAs from the state.
The demonstration is set for 10 a.m. Setia has also urged fellow Congress MLAs, whose names are being incorrectly circulated on social media, to join him in the protest.
Representing the Sirsa Assembly seat, Setia emphasized that he has maintained amicable relations with Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and current Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, asserting that the claims about his cross-voting for the Congress are based on false allegations.
Through a video shared on social media, he called on the party to publicly disclose the names of MLAs who may have undermined the party's chances in the recent Rajya Sabha elections held on the evening of March 17.
"The Congress leadership should openly identify those state legislators who cross-voted against our party. I urge party officials to make the names of these MLAs known to the public," he stated.
Setia accused social media of spreading misinformation, asserting that he has been wrongly implicated in the cross-voting saga.
Expressing discontent with certain internal party decisions, he has urged the Haryana Congress leadership to remove those legislators who voted against the party candidates during the Rajya Sabha elections.
This protest underscores the ongoing rifts within the Haryana Congress, with Setia having previously expressed feelings of being "ignored and isolated" despite his electoral success in the Sirsa Assembly.
Although Congress has a substantial number of seats, they managed to secure only one seat in the recent Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana.
The issue of cross-voting has brought significant embarrassment to the Congress party, highlighting the factionalism present within its Haryana unit.
Discussions are ongoing regarding the names of five Congress MLAs allegedly involved in cross-voting, although the party has yet to confirm these names.
In Chandigarh, when former Haryana Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupendra Singh Hooda was asked about the five names, he indicated that those names have been forwarded to the Congress high command but did not confirm or deny them.