Haryana polls: Manohar Khattar invites Congress MP Kumari Selja to join BJP

Sirsa MP Kumari Selja, who has raised eyebrows with her absence from the Congress’s campaign for the Haryana Assembly election, has been invited by former Chief Minister and Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to join the BJP. Selja, one of the senior-most Dalit faces in Congress, wields influence in several Assembly constituencies.
Addressing an event in Haryana, referring to Selja’s absence from the Congress’s campaign, Khattar said, “One of our Dalit sisters has been insulted and abused by the Congress. 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 further said that the BJP had inducted many leaders into its fold and was ready to welcome Selja as well. “We are ready to welcome her to the party,” he added.
Responding to Khattar, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari said the BJP made the offer as it doesn’t have support among the voters. Tiwari called Kumari Selja a “dedicated soldier of Congress”.
Rumours of a rift in the Haryana unit of the Congress gained traction after Selja was not seen during the party’s manifesto launch event by national president Mallikarjun Kharge.
However, talking exclusively to India Today TV, Bhupinder Hooda admitted that while some leaders had aspirations and differences, the party was contesting the Assembly election unitedly.
The Assembly polls will take place in Haryana in a single phase on October 5, and counting of votes in the 90-member Assembly will be held on October 8.