Resignation triggers cabinet berth race

The 14 member cabinet now has two vacant seats — earlier O P Jain had quit after being booked by the police after the family of a sarpanch alleged that he was involved in the village leader’s murder.

Hooda had successfully neutralised the efforts of senior party leaders,who had been eyeing the berth vacated by Jain. With too many contenders,appeasing one would have even led to rebellion.

“With the government having already completed three year,a number of contenders have come up. However,picking up only two will only lead to others carrying a grudge,” a Hooda loyalist said.

He added that the CM’s effort now “will be to include areas or communities,which are still unrepresented in the government.”

However,with Kanda too vacating his seat,a number of leaders have started lobbying for the two posts,with several pulling all stops to seek an order from the party high command in Delhi.

Savitri Jindal,wife of former Haryana minister O P Jindal and mother of Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal,who was overlooked both during the swearing in of the cabinet and during its expansion,is a frontrunner now. She may get some support as her community remains unrepresented in the Cabinet.

Sources said,Hooda may try to rope in a Brahmin face and give one of the berths to his friend and former minister Venod Sharma. Earlier,he had “adjusted” another Brahmin leader,Kuldeep Sharma,by making him the Assembly Speaker.

Sampat Singh,once a close aide of former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala,is also waiting for his adjustment. A minister in the Chautala government,he had quit the INLD ahead of the last Assembly polls and joined the Congress. He won the election but was not inducted in the cabinet. Hooda’s friend from his home district Rohtak,Anand Singh Dangi,too is hoping for a ministerial role.

JD-U questions delay in arrest

NEW DELHI: The JD-U on Tuesday demanded “immediate arrest” of former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda booked in the murder case of former air hostess Geetika Sharma. “Why is there such a delay in arresting Kanda despite clear evidence (in the form of) the letter written by the victim? He should be immediately arrested and taken on remand for interrogation,” party president Sharad Yadav said.

Maintaining that the incident was a “very painful”,Yadav said,“There is Congress government at the Centre,there is Congress government in Delhi and there is Congress government in Haryana. Then why such delay in investigations?” Sharma was a resident of Delhi while Kanda was a minister in Haryana government.

Yadav said that while Sharma “dared to expose the truth”,even while courting death,many such sufferings and exploitations of women go unnoticed. “The government should take it seriously and act tough,” Yadav said.