Kurukshetra: Randeep Surjewala, in charge of the AICC communication department, convened a ‘kisan, mazdoor bacaho dharna’ here today. Earlier, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had held a kisan panchayat here last month which was attended by nearly 13 of the 17 sitting Congress MLAs.

Kurukshetra: Randeep Surjewala, in charge of the AICC communication department, convened a ‘kisan, mazdoor bacaho dharna’ here today. Earlier, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had held a kisan panchayat here last month which was attended by nearly 13 of the 17 sitting Congress MLAs.

However, the political rival faction of the Hooda camp today managed to draw a bigger crowd in favour of Surjewala.

Congress leaders likeformer MLAs Ramesh Gupta, Bachan Singh Arya, former general secretary of the Indian Youth Congress Varinder Rathore and ex-state Youth Congress president Sanjay Chhokar unanimously said Surjewala should be the next Chief Minister.

Other speakers also said since Surjewala was a member of Rahul Gandhi’s core team and he (Surjewala) be projected as a contender for the top political post in Haryana in the next Vidhan Sabha elections.

Surjewala blamed the BJP government for formulating policies like crop insurance scheme, to suit the business interests of corporate houses. He said the BJP government at the Centre and in Haryana had not fulfilled its electoral promise to pay cost plus 50 per cent bonus on crops. Demanding loan waiver for marginal farmers and small traders, the Kaithal MLA said the Congress had waived Rs 72,000 crore during its tenure. He said if Rahul Gandhi was voted to power in next elections, complete loan waiver of farming community would be the top priority of the Congress government.

Surjewala said that compared to 2014, the international prices of DAP, potash and urea had come down by almost 50 per cent. But there is no change in the market price of these products, he said.