Haryana Congress's Troubled Ascension: New Chief Plagued by Land Scam Shadows

The political landscape of Haryana’s Congress unit remains as tumultuous as ever, with the recent appointment of Udai Bhan as the new state president igniting a fresh wave of controversy and exposing deep-seated factionalism. While the move was ostensibly aimed at uniting the party, it has instead drawn a spotlight on a significant political liability: a multi-crore land scam from 2004 that directly implicates Bhan’s family.

This shadow looms large, threatening to derail the party’s efforts to present a united front against the ruling BJP.

Udai Bhan, a staunch loyalist of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, assumed the top post amidst a fierce internal power struggle. His elevation is widely perceived as a strategic maneuver by Hooda to consolidate his influence within the state unit, effectively sideline rival camps led by Kumari Selja, Randeep Surjewala, and Kiran Choudhury, and establish himself as the undisputed leader ahead of crucial elections.

However, this strategic move comes at a steep price, providing ample ammunition to both internal detractors and external political rivals.

The heart of the controversy lies in the infamous 2004 Faridabad land denotification scam. During that period, the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) had initiated the acquisition of a vast 1,733 acres of land in Faridabad, earmarked for industrial development.

Shockingly, 114 acres of this prime land were subsequently denotified or released from acquisition, leading to allegations of immense irregularities and illicit gains.

Investigations and subsequent reports, notably from the Justice S.N. Dhingra Commission, unearthed a disturbing pattern: companies allegedly linked to Udai Bhan’s family members – specifically his father, Gaya Lal, and brother, Suraj Bhan – were among the primary beneficiaries.

The modus operandi was straightforward yet audacious: land was reportedly purchased at nominal prices from unsuspecting farmers under the guise of acquisition, only to be denotified later and sold off at exorbitant market rates, generating astronomical profits for those in the know. An FIR registered in 2015 by the BJP government even named former CM Hooda and others, including Bhan’s relatives, in connection with this scam, though Bhan maintains his family’s innocence and claims the High Court has stayed the FIR.

This resurgence of the land scam allegations could not come at a worse time for the Haryana Congress.

Already grappling with internal dissent and struggling to present a cohesive opposition narrative, the party now finds its new chief facing accusations that severely undermine its moral standing. How can the Congress effectively criticize the BJP on issues of corruption when its own leadership is clouded by such serious allegations? The situation provides a fertile ground for the BJP to launch counter-attacks, effectively deflecting attention from its own governance record.

For Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the gambit of installing his confidante, Udai Bhan, is a high-stakes one.

While it might solidify his control over the party apparatus, it simultaneously exposes the party to significant reputational damage. The challenge for Udai Bhan will be immense: not only must he navigate the treacherous waters of Haryana’s faction-ridden Congress, but he must also convincingly address and deflect the lingering shadows of the land scam, all while trying to rally a spirited cadre for the electoral battles ahead.

The road to revival for Haryana Congress appears more arduous than ever, fraught with both internal strife and external scrutiny.