Leader of Oppostion in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with party leader Kumari Selja during a public meeting for Haryana Assembly elections (PTI)
KARNAL: As she joined the Congress's poll campaign in Haryana at a rally addressed by Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, senior leader Kumari Selja said the decision on who would be the chief minister on the party getting the people's mandate will be taken by the high command and that would be acceptable to everyone.
Selja, who had till now stayed away from the campaign as she was reportedly upset over the Congress's ticket distribution for the October 5 Haryana Assembly polls, had earlier this week avowed her dedication to the party and dismissed talks of a possible switch to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"I was neither distant from the Congress now nor can ever be distant from the party in the future," she told PTI Videos in an interview on board a chopper.
Asked where she stands in the race for chief ministership, Selja said, "Be it Haryana or any other state, the decision on the chief minister is always taken by the high command. When the CLP (Congress Legislature Party) meeting takes place, the newly-elected MLAs pass a one-line resolution. This is the tradition everywhere that the high command is authorised to decide."
"Observers speak to the MLAs, but the final decision rests with the high command because it is a political decision," she added.
Responding to another question, Selja said, "The decision on the chief minister will be taken by the high command and the high command's decision will be acceptable to all."
Asked about staying away from campaigning till now and whether her issues were resolved after she met Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Selja did not give a direct answer and said "we keep talking to him on party-related and election issues".
Hitting out at the BJP, Selja said the ruling party has no issues and it looks towards the Congress to give them an issue.
"The Congress will not give an issue to the BJP and it will have to provide answers for its 10 years of misrule. As far as I am concerned, I was neither distant from the Congress nor can I ever be so in the future…. The BJP must give an answer for 10 years of misgovernance," the former Union minister said.
On Union Home Minister Amit Shah dubbing the Congress as anti-Dalits, Selja said the BJP's "mask is off", be it in Haryana or in other states.
"The attitude they have against Dalits, women…. Their own people were linked with crimes against Dalits and women. The BJP has not given an answer to that till now," she said.
As far as the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is concerned, Selja said Mayawati's appeal is restricted to Uttar Pradesh and the party does not have much of a base in Haryana.
"People are always behind the winds of change. The Congress has been working on the ground…. Be it the Rahul Gandhi-led yatra or otherwise, we have been among people," she said.
"As far as the BJP is concerned, their differences are before the people, be it among ministers or MLAs, all are fed up with their own government," Selja said.
Asked how many of the 90 seats she expects the Congress to get in Haryana, she exuded confidence that the grand old party will get a "good majority" and form the government in the state.
On BJP leaders inviting her to join their party, Selja said, "It is laughable because people know that Selja belongs to the Congress and will always be with the Congress."
On Monday, she had said, "I am a Congressperson, I will remain a Congressperson." She had dismissed talks of a possible switch to the BJP, accusing the ruling party of diverting attention from its own "failures" in Haryana.
Amid reports that she was disgruntled over the ticket distribution for the Haryana polls, Selja had also dismissed talks of discord within the Congress ranks and said, "We will together form the government."
Union minister and senior BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar recently invited Selja to join the saffron party, amid reports that she was staying away from the Congress's campaign.
Selja met Kharge on Tuesday, a day after she avowed her dedication to the party and dismissed talks of a possible switch to the BJP.
Selja had put out pictures from the meeting on X, in which Kharge is seen offering her something sweet to eat on her birthday.
Selja, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the party's state unit chief Udai Bhan and other leaders were present at the rally in Assandh that was addressed by Gandhi.
The 90-member Haryana Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on October 5 and the counting of votes will be taken up on October 8.