Haryana Cong crisis deepens, Bhajan Lal resigns as PCC chief

New Delhi, Jul 1 (UNI) A crisis in the faction-ridden Haryana Congress deepened today with former state Chief Minister Bhajan Lal resigning as Pradesh Congress Committee President alleging "inaction" of the Hooda government and protesting against the "unacceptable treatment" meted out to his followers in the new PCC reconstituted a week ago by the AICC.

"...The recent Pradesh Congress Committee list (of office bearers) has broken all bounds of patience in the hearts and minds of the real Congress workers at the grass-root level, who have fought every battle against the likes of O P Chautala, late Ch.Bansi Lal Ji and the BJP to keep the Congress flag high," he said in his resignation letter faxed to Party President Sonia Gandhi at her official 10 Janpath residence.

The extreme action by the ageing leader came at the end of a week long unfructified effort to meet Ms Gandhi to personally express his displeasure over the reconstituted PCC in Haryana where the state Congress is immersed in factionalism with Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Mr Lal on rival sides.

"I write this letter to you with a heavy heart. The developments in the Haryana state in the last 15 months have been very painful and agonising for the people of the state, who voted for the Congress Party in 2005 Vidhan Sabha elections," the three-time Chief Minister complained in his letter.

Without making any personal reference to Mr Hooda, he said "the state of affairs in Haryana are in a pathetic condition due to the non-fulfilment of promises made to the people by the Congress Party." More UNI SH RP HT1730