US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI1773

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, Indian Domestic Politics 
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