CONGRESS BEGINS PARTY CLEANUP IN HARYANA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 001773

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INR/B

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/06/2015
TAGS: PGOV PINR IN
SUBJECT: CONGRESS BEGINS PARTY CLEANUP IN HARYANA

REF: NEW DELHI 01710

Classified By: PolCouns Geoff Pyatt for Reasons 1.4 (B, D)


1. (C) Summary: Following a week of political turmoil in
which Congress has taken a beating for playing fast and rough
with the democratic process in several states, the party
leadership moved to install a cleaner politician as Chief
Minister of Haryana. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, a longtime
Congress loyalist and a dark horse contender, was chosen for
his anti-corruption credentials and clean political image.
Hooda's selection suggests an effort by the party do some
damage control after the Goa and Jharkhand election missteps
and to rebuild its image. End Summary.

Dark Horse Victory
--------------


2. (C) Senior Congress and Jat (predominantly a caste
engaged in agricultural) leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda
represents a new generation of Haryana political leaders.
Although press reports indicated that he and former Chief
Minister Bhajan Lal were the two top contenders to become
Chief Minister, Congress insider Randeep Surjewala told the
Mission that Hooda was never seriously discussed for the post
and that the Congress had decided on Lal. After Congress was
accused of attempting to impose governments on Goa and
Jharkhand, Ambika Soni, Ahmed Patel, and other powerful
Congress leaders purportedly urged party President Sonia
Gandhi to drop Lal, who has been linked with corruption and
unethical political practices, and to replace him with Hooda,
who has a reputation as a relatively clean politician.

Expanding Congress, Base
--------------


3. (C) Caste factors also helped tip the scales in Hooda's
favor, with Mrs. Gandhi accepting the argument that Hooda's
appointment would expand the party's base among crucial Jat
electorates in neighboring Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Both
states are currently ruled by non-Congress governments, and
have been targeted for takeover attempts. Hooda had
carefully cultivated the Jats by encouraging their
aspirations to have "one of their own" as Chief Minister,
instead of the long-serving Lal, who is from a small, non-Jat
caste.


4. (C) Well-connected television journalist Harish Gupta
confirmed Surjewala's assessment, telling us that Ahmed
Patel, Rahul Gandhi, and other influential Congress leaders
argued to Mrs. Gandhi that following the fiascos in Goa and
Jharkhand, the party had to cultivate a cleaner image.

Hurdles for Hooda
--------------


5. (SBU) Hooda, however, faces numerous challenges. He will
have to resign his Lok Sabha seat and win election to the
Haryana State Assembly within six months, and he may have
difficulty fulfilling his election promises. Hooda, who
projected himself as a "crusader against corruption," will
have to establish and maintain a clean administration, a
difficult task in a a state known for its corrupt
politicians. This will be of particular interest to us in
the fast growing Gurgaon corridor, home to many US
corporates. Hooda is likely to institute a thorough and
impartial investigation into the alleged massive corruption
against ousted Chief Minister and rival Jat leader Om Prakash
Chautala, which could further roil the state's politics.

Party Stalwart
--------------


6. (U) A longtime Congress activist, Hooda began his
political career under the patronage of his cousin, Birender
Singh, a former Haryana Congress President. He served as the
block Congress Committee president from 1972 to 1977, Haryana
State Youth Congress senior vice-president from 1980 to 1982,
and headed a district development council from 1983 to 1987.
He entered mainstream politics in 1991 when he won a
Parliamentary seat with a surprise upset victory against Devi
Lal, the patriarch of Haryana politics. He became a Congress
Committee Member in 1992, and served as the Haryana Congress
Parliamentary Group convenor from 1994 to 1996. His only
stint in the state assembly came in 1996, but he resigned
after being elected to the Lok Sabha. His career received a
boost when then AICC President, Sita Ram Kesri, appointed him
President of the Haryana Congress in 1997 following
Congress,s 1996 resounding defeat. He was elected to the
Lower House for the fourth time in 1998.

Bio Data
--------------


7. (U) Known as "Bhupi" to his friends, Hooda was born on
September 15, 1947 -- one month after India's Independence --
in a village in Haryana's Rohtak district. The son of
veteran parliamentarian Choudhary Ranbir Singh, he is a
farmer and lawyer by profession. He holds a BA and an LLB
degree from Punjab University, Chandigarh, and Delhi
University, respectively. His wife, Asha, has an MA in
English. The couple have a son and a daughter. His
interests range from social service to reading to sports, and
he has traveled extensively.


Comment
--------------


8. (C) Hooda's selection indicates that Mrs. Gandhi and her
inner circle have determined that Congress must adopt a more
defensive strategy following the failure of takeover attempts
in Jharkhand and Goa. Congress appears set to embark on a
large damage control exercise, stressing clean politics and
anti-corruption, in an attempt to rebuild an image that was
badly eroded by the Jharkhand/Goa missteps. Congress
leaders, such as Bhajan Lal, who have a track record of
corruption and manipulation may be set aside for now in favor
of those with cleaner reputations. Although the chastened
Lal has for now accepted defeat gracefully, there is the
potential for the politically astute, "old war horse" to
cause trouble in the future. He has a history of cobbling
together defectors from other parties, and could play a
spoiler role for the Congress down the road.
MULFORD