Rao Inderjit Singh Sparks Row at BJP Partition Event in Gurugram
A Bharatiya Janata Party event organised in Gurugram's Sector 29 to observe Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas witnessed internal discord on Friday when Union Minister of State for Planning and local MP Rao Inderjit Singh publicly objected to how the programme was being conducted.
The state-level memorial brought together BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Union Minister Manohar Lal, and Haryana BJP president Archana Gupta. However, the gathering quickly turned into a public display of internal party friction as Singh took the microphone and questioned the exclusion of local leaders.
Singh expressed displeasure over the organisation of the programme, stating that local residents had not been invited. He remarked that people from various parts had arrived and raised objections, while thanking Gupta for bringing Nabin to ensure the gathering became a party event rather than remaining a programme of a specific community.
Directly addressing Nabin, the Gurugram MP questioned whether he would have been invited had the national president not attended. He drew comparisons with other constituencies, asking if Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Bhatia would be excluded from a similar programme in Panipat, or Manohar Lal from an event in Karnal.
Singh also made reference to Manohar Lal, noting that Haryana was the first state to have a Punjabi Chief Minister and stressing that Lal had secured the post with support across all communities. Invoking the city's political history, Singh mentioned that Gurugram's first Punjabi MLA, Dharambir Gaba, won elections four times with broad backing from various groups. He added that people arriving from Pakistan after Partition were welcomed by Haryana as a whole, meaning the legacy belonged to the entire state.
Singh's speech was interrupted and stopped midway.
Sources in Singh's office stated that the MP had not received a formal invitation from the organisers, the Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Nyas. After the Chief Minister's Office reached out on Thursday afternoon to confirm his attendance, staff flagged the absence of an invitation. Gupta then contacted Singh, informing him of Nabin's participation and inviting him directly. While the Nyas invitation did not list the MP's name, an administrative invite later listed him as a guest of honour. Convenor Bodhraj Sikri confirmed the district administration's invitation letter was forwarded on Thursday evening.
