With ex-MLAs audio clips, BJP rift surfaces in Radaur

Yamunanagar: Rift in BJP surfaced on Wednesday as two audio clips were doing the rounds on social media, in which former Radaur MLA Shyam Singh Rana is heard asking local workers not to support the party candidate for the October 21 polls.

Rana was elected to the assembly from Radaur in 2014. This year, the party parachuted former minister Karan Dev Kamboj on the seat.

Kamboj, who was a minister of state for food and supplies, transport, tourism, and hospitality in the previous government, was elected to the assembly in 2014 from Indri constituency in Karnal district.

BJP decided to field Kamboj from Radaur as he belongs to the seat’s Mandhar village.

In a close contest against Bishan Lal of the Congress, Kamboj lost from Radaur by a margin of 2,541 votes.

Sources disclosed that Rana also wanted to contest from Radaur, but he could not win the trust of the BJP leadership. After his name did not appear in the candidates’ list, Rana asked his supporters not to back Kamboj.

Talking to TOI, Kamboj said he had complained to the party’s senior leadership. “Haryana chief minister has called a meeting with Rana on Friday. He has confessed to the voice in the audio recordings being his. He worked against party discipline, which led to our defeat from Radaur. Rana betrayed the party. He never walked with me during the election campaign. The party has assured strict disciplinary action against Rana,” he said.

Defending himself, Rana said the party should have asked a local worker to contest from Radaur if it did not want to field him, but it brought somebody from outside. “Kamboj then started making allegations that I have opposed him and the discussion in the viral audio is with an irrigation department official. The official was acting beyond his limitations and, therefore, I was talking to him. But the audio has been linked to election results. The fact is that I have worked hard for the party and campaigned for Kanwar Pal Gujjar in Jagadhri, Krishan Bedi in Shahabad, and in many other constituencies. The election is won with one’s karma and not by blaming others,” he said.