Sampat Singh, a veteran leader and former state minister, has publicly accused the leadership of restoring “someone who has harmed the party,” referring to serious allegations stemming from the so-called cash-for-CLU sting in 2016. His remarks have spurred renewed scrutiny of Rao Narender’s past and brought internal divisions into the open.
Rao Narender, a former health minister and multiple-term MLA, was appointed on 29 September, replacing Udai Bhan. His selection coincided with Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s reinstatement as leader of the Congress Legislative Party in Haryana — a repositioning seen by many as favouring the Hooda faction. Rao Narender’s political lineage and proximity to Hooda’s influence are believed to have influenced the high command’s move.
Nearly a decade ago, Rao Narender was implicated in a sting operation in which he and others allegedly demanded bribes in exchange for granting change-of-land-use permissions. An FIR was registered in early 2016 under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The probe gathered renewed attention in August 2024, when Haryana police told the High Court that investigations were complete and a chargesheet would be filed soon — though delays and lack of cooperation from parties have held up action.
Sampat Singh has insisted that the party leadership ignored voices warning against the appointment. He claimed the decision blindsided seasoned leaders and disrupted internal equilibrium. Other senior Congress members, including Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, have echoed concerns about marginalisation of voices outside the Hooda–Selja axis.
Within hours of his remarks, Congress MP Jai Prakash publicly suggested Sampat Singh should “take rest” and criticised him for holding the central leadership responsible for his electoral setbacks — remarks that underscored the growing tensions between competing factions. The flashpoint over Rao Narender’s selection has thus exposed deeper faultlines: old guard versus new alignments, regional loyalties vis-à-vis central control, and the balancing act of factional appeasement.
Proponents of Rao Narender draw attention to his track record: he hails from Narnaul, a politically significant region; earlier in his career, he stood with the Haryana Janhit Congress before joining Congress and earning ministerial rank under Hooda’s government. Some insiders believe his appointment represents an attempt to reorient the party’s appeal toward non-Jat communities — a shift from the long-standing correlation between Jat leadership and Congress in Haryana.
That said, adversaries question the wisdom of promoting a figure with unresolved legal baggage. Opposition parties in Haryana have seized on the CLU case, demanding clarity on whether charges have been properly addressed and suggesting the elevation risks political backlash. The INLD, in particular, has publicly condemned the party for embracing a “tainted” figure before judicial outcomes are settled.
Behind the scenes, Congress has sought to calm nerves by reportedly considering multiple working presidents to placate disgruntled leaders. The move is seen as an implicit acknowledgment that the top-down decision has aggravated the delicate balance among internal blocs.
Local Congress units have begun organising state-level consultations to assess damage control. In regions where Sampat Singh retains influence, the protests have simmered into open criticism at meetings and through social media messaging.