Chandigarh, Sep 22 (IANS): Trouble seems brewing for Congress in Haryana as its prominent Dalit face and Member of Parliament, Kumari Selja, has been “conspicuously absent” from the party’s campaign for over a week.

Her silence after nominations ended has caught the eye of the Opposition parties with BJP’s outgoing Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday accusing the Congress of being “anti-Dalit” for hesitating to declare her as the chief ministerial face.

“The Congress is anti-Dalit and does not respect Dalits. If any Dalit leader wants to move forward, the Congress crushes that leader. Kumari Selja is a big leader…if she wants to become the Chief Minister, what crime did she commit?” Saini told the media.

His assertion comes a day after Saini’s predecessor Manohar Lal Khattar, now a Union minister, invited her to join the BJP.

“Our Dalit sister is sitting at home. A large section of people are today thinking about what they should do. Many people were upset with them and we brought them into the party fold. We are ready with an offer and if she comes, we are ready to induct her,” Khattar was quoted as saying.

Congress sources told IANS that upset over the denial of tickets to leaders owing allegiance to her camp, Kumari Sejla preferred to stay away from the electioneering.

There is no official statement either by the Congress central leadership or senior-most leader and two-time Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda, who is in the race for the post of the Chief Minister, about the reason for Kumari Selja’s absence just ahead of polling on October 5 despite being active on the ground before the candidature on all seats were cleared.

In the just concluded Lok Sabha polls, Kumari Selja defeated BJP’s Ashok Tanwar by 2,68,497 votes from the Sirsa (reserve) seat. Congress rebel Tanwar was the Haryana Congress president.

Former Home Minister and BJP leader Anil Vij, who is in the fray from his stronghold Ambala Cantonment, said: “There is no respect for women in the Congress, and there is no respect for Dalits also. If someone can use casteist words about such a prominent leader (Kumari Selja), then what must the situation in Congress be? Everyone should be aware of this.”

Responding to a media query, Vij, the six-time legislator who last week demanded that he be made the Chief Minister of Haryana if his party wins the elections, said, “If Manohar Lal-ji is saying something about the possibility of Kumari Selja joining the BJP, then there must be something in this regard.”

All political parties are aiming to woo the Dalits, who constitute nearly 21 per cent of the state’s population, with both prominent parties, the BJP and the Congress, having Dalits as state party chiefs. Out of 90 Assembly seats, 17 are reserved for the Dalits.

Even the BJP is eyeing a hat-trick of wins in the state under the leadership of Nayab Singh Saini, a non-Jat but Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader.

The 2019 election was fought under the leadership of Manohar Lal Khattar, who was at the helm for nearly nine-and-a-half years till March 2024, paving the way for the next Chief Minister.

Azad Samaj Party leader and parliamentarian Chandra Shekhar Azad has too condemned the abusive comment made on Kumari Selja and called upon the people to be cautious of the Congress. He said the party “which cannot give respect to a senior leader of our society, how will that Congress care for the common people of our society?”

He said Kumari Selja has been strengthening the Congress for a long time but “today she is being forced to sit at home due to repeated insults”.

The Azad Samaj Party is contesting the elections in alliance with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).

Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will be reaching Haryana for the first time to hold public meetings in Ambala City and Gharaunda.

It is learnt that All India Congress Committee general secretary Kumari Selja, who was mainly upset over the denial of the ticket to Ajay Chaudhary for the Narnaund constituency, will miss both election rallies of Kharge.

“Narnaund will send Chaudhary to the Assembly. We made a small mistake in 2005, but don’t repeat it as we have to make him win this time,” Kumari Selja said last month at a public rally, virtually declaring him as the party candidate from the constituency well ahead of the start of the exercise to shortlist of prospective candidates.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan, who is the Congress candidate from Panchkula, has been saying if the party returns to the helm, Kumari Selja will be the next Chief Minister.

Haryana will go to the polls for the 90-member assembly on October 5 with the ballot count on October 8.