Former Haryana Cabinet Minister Sampat Singh Quits Congress, Says Factionalism Has Destroyed the Party

Senior leader and former cabinet minister of Haryana, Sampat Singh, recently resigned from Congress, citing a lack of faith in leadership. In a detailed 4-page letter to Mallikarjun Kharge, the current president of the Indian National Congress party, Singh alleges that factionalism and internal manipulation have ruined the party. He accused the party of ‘ticket theft’ for ignoring deserving candidates.

Also Read: Bengaluru: Speeding Ambulance Jumps Signal, Kills Couple On Scooter

The letter read, “Since we are not personally acquainted, please allow me to briefly introduce myself. I have been a six-time elected member of the Haryana Legislative Assembly. I served as a Cabinet Minister for two terms and as Leader of the Opposition for one term. Before entering politics, I was an Assistant Professor of Political Science.

To briefly recount my political journey, I joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in 2009.
I was promised a ticket from the Fatehabad Assembly constituency, but I was asked to contest from Nalwa. Despite this, the people of Nalwa, reposing their faith in my work and dedication, elected me to the Assembly. Unfortunately, the Congress Party lost the Fatehabad seat, a direct result of public displeasure with my change of constituency - even though I had won there five times in a row. My entry into the Congress party also led to victory in about half a dozen other areas under my influence.

Despite this, I was neither given a cabinet position nor a role in the organization. Later, I
learned that I was sidelined because of my post-election meeting with Kumari Selja
and her ministry's approval of ₹18 crore for my constituency. Subsequently, I was
confined to a single constituency, preventing me from strengthening the party in other parts of Haryana.

Many of my colleagues returned to the INLD in 2014, and as a result, the INLD won the Hisar Lok Sabha and Assembly seats that year. History repeated itself in the 2019 Assembly
elections - I was denied a ticket again, and the BJP won both the Nalwa and Fatehabad
seats.

In 2024, I was appointed coordinator for the Sirsa Lok Sabha constituency, where Kumari Selja was the Congress candidate. My sincere efforts in her favor made the state leadership feel insecure.

That same year, I attended Selja ji's Narnaund rally, which angered the state leadership.
Subsequently, I was denied a ticket again, and Congress once again lost the Nalwa seat.

The **2024 Haryana Assembly elections** should be a subject of study for the
Congress. Nearly every survey, media report, and assessment predicted a Congress
victory, but the results were far from surprising to those aware of the persistent weakness within the
organization.

The exodus that warned -

Shri Bhajan Lal, a former state president, three-time Chief Minister, three-time Lok Sabha
MP, one Rajya Sabha MP, and a Union Minister, was humiliated and forced to leave the
party, with disastrous consequences.

Mr. Rao Inderjit Singh, a four-time MLA and six-time MP, once a strong pillar of the Congress party, was forced
to leave the party due to constant humiliation. Today, he is a minister in the central government.

Mr. Kuldeep Bishnoi, a four-time MLA and two-time MLA, repeatedly ignored and left the party.

MP, Shri Dharambir Singh was a four-time MLA and three-time MP - he left the Congress due to factionalism- and is now a BJP MP.

Shri Birendra Singh - former State Congress President, five-time MLA, three-time MP - despite being a loyal Congressman, was humiliated and thrown out.

Dr. Ashok Tanwar - Former State President, One-time MP - Had to leave the party after a physical assault and humiliation.

Dr. Arvind Sharma - government. Four-time MP, once MLA, victim of neglect, today he is a member of the Haryana BJP.

Mr. Avtar - Four-time MP - marginalized; today MLA in Uttar Pradesh.

The 2016 Rajya Sabha incident is another example. Mrs. Sonia Gandhi had approved the nomination of Mr. R.K. Anand, who had the support of 37 Congress and INLD MLAs. Yet, how was a
state leader allowed to abstain from voting? Even an independent MLA (now a Congress
MP) was deliberately asked to cast his vote with a different pen, thereby nullifying all
Votes.

Kumari Selja, AICC the general secretary and the country's senior-most Dalit woman leader, was made the Haryana Pradesh Congress President, but was removed in 2022 under pressure from the state leadership.

Smt. Shruti Chaudhary, a two-time MP, was not given a ticket from Bhiwani. Today, he is a minister in the BJP government.

Mrs. Kiran Chaudhary, five-time MLA, twice Minister, and former Deputy Speaker (Delhi),
was continuously humiliated. When she was the leader of the Congress Legislature Party, some MLAs
were asked to boycott her meetings.

Smt. Savitri Jindal, thrice MLA, twice minister, left Congress and is today an independent MLA.

Shri Naveen Jindal, a three-time MP, is now a BJP MP.

Meanwhile, the state leadership strengthened its personal power. Instead of putting forward a qualified member of the Scheduled Caste or Backward Class to the vacant Rajya Sabha seat in 2020, the leader's son was nominated, making the national party a family venture.

Even Shri Randeep Singh Surjewala, four-time MLA and A.I.C.C. General Secretary, was also sent to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan due to factionalism in Haryana. Shri Ajay Maken, Treasurer, lost the Rajya Sabha elections from Haryana; this was the result of a leadership crisis.

**2024 assembly elections**

In the Lok Sabha elections, Dalit voters gave huge support to Congress and won
five seats, but the state leadership marginalized Kumari Selja ji due to ego and family
interests. Caste comments and objectionable videos were spread against him, and his
supporters were denied tickets. As a result, the Dalit class boycotted the Congress.

**Ticket Theft:** Tickets were given to rich people, ignoring the deserving candidates.

**Election Theft:** People close to the state leadership acted against the Congress as "independent" candidates.

Senior leaders like Captain Ajay Yadav and Shri Kuldeep Sharma continued to be insulted, and the central leadership remained silent. Congress has now become the domain of an individual and a family, where the reward for loyalty is slavery and the punishment for dissent is expulsion.

There was no accountability for the party's consecutive defeats from 2009 to 2024. No action
was taken against those responsible for "vote theft" or "ticket theft." In 2005, under the leadership of Shri Bhajan Lal ji, the Congress won 67 seats, and the defeats have continued since then.

The people of Haryana are now disappointed with both the state and national leadership. After the 2024 defeat, Mr. Rahul Gandhi himself admitted that the state leadership placed personal interests above the party's. Yet, the same leadership remained in place.

Under these circumstances, I no longer have faith in the Indian National Congress's
ability to represent the interests of the people of Haryana. I am a proud Haryanvi and 
cannot let the people of my state down. My commitment to Haryana remains unwavering, but I have lost faith in the current Congress leadership.
Therefore, I am compelled to tender my resignation from the Indian National Congress.”

Also Read: ED Chennai Office, VHM Hospital Receive Second Bomb Threat In 3 Days

The resignation has created a stir in the leadership of Congress, which is keen on projecting an image of a solid organisational foundation ahead of the state elections in Bihar. However, the allegations of ‘ticket theft’ and the party affairs being conducted based on family relationships by Sampat Singh have brought the party under the scanner.