Haryana polls: Khattar invites Congress MP Selja to join BJP
What's the story
Former Haryana Chief Minister and Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has extended an invitation to Congress leader Kumari Selja to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The invitation comes amid speculation over her absence from the Congress's campaign for the upcoming Haryana Assembly election.
"One of our Dalit sisters has been insulted and abused by the Congress," Khattar said at an event in Haryana, referring to Selja's absence from the campaign.
Party politics
Khattar criticizes Congress for 'insulting' Selja
Khattar claimed that Selja was sidelined while other party leaders, including Bhupinder Hooda, Deepender Hooda, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi, showed no remorse.
"She is sitting at home, but the Hoodas (Bhupinder Hooda and Deepender Hooda) and the Gandhi (Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi) family are not even ashamed," he said.
Party invitation
BJP ready to welcome Selja, says Khattar
Khattar stated that the BJP has welcomed many leaders into its ranks and is prepared to extend the same courtesy to Selja.
"We are ready to welcome her to the party," he added.
In response, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari suggested that the BJP's invitation was a sign of their lack of voter support.
He described Selja as a "dedicated soldier of Congress."
Internal strife
Rumors of discord within Haryana Congress
Rumors of internal discord within the Haryana unit of the Congress have been circulating, particularly after Selja's noticeable absence from the party's manifesto launch event.
However, Bhupinder Hooda, in an exclusive interview with India Today TV, acknowledged some leaders' aspirations and differences but insisted that the party is contesting the Assembly election unitedly.
The Haryana Assembly polls will be held in a single phase on October 5 with vote counting for the 90-member Assembly scheduled for October 8.