Surjewala Riding Piggy Back On Son

By Sanjeev Kochhar Times News Network

Kaithal: The marketplace in this semi-urban town is abuzz with political activity. Vehicles with flags of the ruling INLD and Congress whiz past with blaring hooters.

A host of party leaders have decided to descend on the constituency on the same day. Randeep Surjewala, the youth face of Congress in the state, is here to use his diplomatic skills to remove hurdles in father Shamsher Singh Surjewala’s path, who is being considered an outsider in the constituency.

Ajay Chautala, elder son of chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and party secretary general, is visiting the constituency to garner support for party’s fresh face Kailash Bhagat. Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh is touring the area to give a fillip to the electoral prospects of BJP candidate Ravi Bhushan Garg.
All three candidates have been chosen keeping the caste factor in mind. In a constituency with voter strength of over 1.27 lakh, there are an estimated 20,000 Jats, 14,000 Punjabis, 11,000 Aggarwala, 11,000 Brahmins and Gujjars, besides 27,000 to 28,000 backward classes and others.

Shamsher Singh Surjewala, a four time. MLA from Narwana and a senior minister, is a Jat. The INLD candidate belongs to the Punjabi community and the BJP man is an Aggarwal. Surjewala has tones of experience behind him, but he appears to be depending heavily on Randeep to deal with opposition to his candidature from at least half a dozen other aspirants.

When Randeep came calling on Friday. He was able to persuade various opposing groups to show solidarity for his father by organizing individual meetings of select workers in his presence and in the presence of his father. Though an upbeat Surjewala camp appeared confident of a resounding victory, the electorate did not appear too confident of unity within its ranks.

Sensing the rising unpopularity of its sitting MLA Mula Ram, a Gujjar, the INLD has fielded rice exporter Kailash Bhagat from the Punjabi community, a well-known personality who is into managing the affairs of religious and educational institutions in a big way.

The BJP, which is contesting on the seat after a gap of 14 years, has put up principal of a reputed school, S S Bal Sadan Senior Secondary School.

While the INLD and the BJP are exploiting the issue of Surjewala being an outsider, the Congress camp is highlighting the alleged reign of terror and extortion let loose by goons of the Chautala clan and the slow pace of development in the constituency.

Devi Dayal, president of the New Grain Market Association in Kaithal, one of the busiest grain markets in the state, talked about the total neglect of the mandi by the government despite several representations.

However, in Keorak, the biggest village in the constituency with a population of over 14,500, the dominant Gujjar community appeared to have no complaints on the development front. Ramesh and Radhe Ram, both Gujjar farmers playing cards along with others in a corner in the village, said a new power station and an overhead water tank has been installed in the village and a few hundred youth had been recruited as policemen and teachers. “We have no complaint against the government,” they said, satisfied.

Surjewala promises to correct Chautala’s wrongs

HT Correspondent Chandigarh, December 10

Pledging to rid Haryana of criminals allegedly enjoying the patronage of Chautala regime, new working president of the Haryana Congress Randeep Singh Surjewala today said the party was committed to get the alleged acts of omission and commission of Chautala probed and bring the guilty to book.

The very fact that proclaimed offender Mewa Singh Bedhian had accompanied the Chief Minister on his visits abroad and criminals wanted for heinous crimes in other states were allegedly roaming freely with the Chief Minister’s sons clearly reflected the state of affairs in Haryana, Randeep said.

Addressing his first press conference after taking over the new assignment, Randeep also warned “pliable bureaucrats acting like agents of the Chautala family”.  “I call upon these officers to function impartially. If they continue to function like the touts of Chautala and his sons, we're not going to spare them, whether it is a returning officer or a Chief Secretary,” he said.

Randeep said there was no need to constitute a Commission of Inquiry to probe charges of misdemeanours against the Chief Minister as they were crystal clear.

He said powers of the Council of Ministers were being abused by the Chautala regime for approving premature release of criminals whose convictions have been upheld even by the Supreme Court.

Thanking party president Sonia Gandhi and AlCC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi for reposing faith in him, Randeep said his priority and agenda would be get rid the state of “dictatorial subjugation” of Chautala government.

Reiterating that the Congress would not project any one as the chief ministerial candidate in the coming Assembly polis, Randeep, when asked to comment on separate rallies organized
by Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Birender Singh yesterday, said there was nothing wrong as the objective of the rallies was to attack the Chautala government.

Both Hooda and Birender had personally congratulated him and he did not consider his appointment as a setback to anybody. He described as a close chapter the denial of a Lok Sabha ticket to him by the high command in face of opposition from his party colleagues.

Randeep said Dalits, traders, students, government employees and farmers have been the worst-affected during the 1NLD reign and were waiting to oust the present it.

Leave ambition, work to oust Chautala, says Surjewala

‘We Are Ready For Panchayat Elections, Whenever Held’

Times News Network

Surjewala addressing a party meeting in Chandigarh on Friday.

Chandigarh: Randeep Surjewala displayed bundles of confidence and a clear cut goal at his first press conference as working president of the Haryana Congress, but the road ahead is paved with hurdles, which would require him to stretch to his limits to overcome.

"I am like Arjun who can't see anything but his target and that, it to ensure the removal of the 1NLD government-led by Om Prakash Chautala and installing a Congress government in the state with the collective will of the people," he told newspersons. "We are in war mode and winning the war should be uppermost in the minds of all Congressmen, leaving all personal considerations and ambitions aside." he said in response to a volley of questions on possible contenders, including himself, for the post of the chief minister in case of a Congress victory.

Reiterating his stand that the acts of "corruption", "criminality" and "crass nepotism" during
the Chautala regime in the last six years would be thoroughly probed once the Congress comes to power; he warned of strictest possible action in quickest possible time against the guilty, whether they be politicians or the officials colluded with them in such acts.

On whether the party would move court against attempt to hold early panchayat elections in the state, he categorically stated that, while the party was yet to take a decision on the issue, it was ready to face the elections ahead on whether these are held before or after the assembly polls.

On what kind of people will be considered for party tickets in the assembly elections, he said only those with total commitment to the party, a deep knowledge of the party policies and ideology. Commanding grassroots level support and having the ability to win, would get a chance. Youth, women and members of Scheduled Caste and weaker sections of the Society
will get adequate representation, he added.

Asked whether he would contest the elections from Narwana against the chief minister, he said: “It is my wish, but it is for the party to decide.”

The pitfalls ahead
Surjewala's appointment is expected to generate a lot of enthusiasm in at least two dominant communities in the state - the Jats (who are estimated to comprise roughly 20 per cent of the total electorate) and the youth (Randeep is 36 years old).

However, Jat stalwarts within the party like former state party chiefs Birender Singh and Bhupinder Singh Hooda, are not sparing any effort to protect  themselves as chief ministerial candidates, They are unlikely to concede ground to him without resistance, despite having the blessing of party chief Sonia Gandhi.

There is also former chief minister Bansi Lal, who despite having lost considerable influence within the state over the years and rejoined the Congress, disbanding his Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) recently, still commands the status of a Jat stalwart.

State party chief Bhajan Lal would also be wary of Surjewala. Despite having broached the idea of appointing a working president himself to keep criticism of his poor health and his arch rivals Birender and Hooda at bay, the former chief minister would not like to give Surjwala a loose rope lest he get overshadowed by youngster.

Biography Of Randeep Singh Surjewala Son of Shamsher Singh Surjewala

Randeep was born as the youngest and fourth child of Ch. Shamsher Singh Surjewala and Smt. Vidya Surjewala on 3rd June, 1967 at PGIMS, Chandigarh. His father was then Minister for Agriculture & Co-operatives in the First Ministry of State of Haryana. He has three elder sisters – Mrs. Madhu Dalal, Mrs. Poonam Chaudhary and Ms. Neeru (now deceased).

Randeep’s mother, Smt. Vidya Kulharia was born in the year 1937 in Chak No. 149, Near Arafwala Mandi, Tehsil Baghpattan, District Mintg umri (now in Pakistan). During the Partition of India in 1947, she along with her family and millions of others, migrated to the present day India and settled in Hisar in Haryana.

Randeep got his moorings in grassroots in course of his primary education in Adarsh Bal Mandir, Narwana and then in Arya Higher Secondary School, Narwana, District Jind, Haryana upto Matriculation.

His father’s brush with India’s Freedom struggle started in 1940’s as President of Student Congress in District Sangrur (erstwhile Punjab). His father was expelled from Yadvindra State High School by the ruler of Sangrur for espousing the agenda of Indian National Congress. In September, 1957; his father started his law practice as an ace lawyer specializing in criminal law and jurisprudence but amiably graduated to grassroots politics getting elected first as Managing Director of Central Co-operative Bank, Sangur in 1959-60 and then as Chairman of Panchayat Samiti, Kalayat (now in District Kaithal) in the year 1961 and again in 1964. Randeep’s father is also a veteran Parliamentarian having been elected to Haryana Legislative Assembly in 1967, 1977, 1982, 1991 and 2005 and to Indian Parliament in the year 1993.

Formative schooling years in his small home town of Narwana have left an indelible impact on his upbringing, humility, sense of purpose and a keen desire for impacting change. His mother’s unflinching religious belief and compassion are largely reflected in Randeep’s way of life.