Gurugram: Is all not well in BJP’s Haryana unit? A public face-off between Union Minister of State Rao Inderjit Singh and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini at Rewari’s Rao Tularam Stadium on Sunday has sparked intense speculation about the undercurrents driving their clash.
During the rally, where Saini inaugurated 15 development projects worth Rs 288 crore, Rao’s sharp rebuke—“We made your government, and we have a rightful claim. Ensure our work is done. The previous CM never came to us”—targeted both Saini and former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, exposing deep fissures within the BJP’s Haryana unit.
Chief Minister Nayab Saini, in his characteristic measured tone, sought to defuse the situation. “We are not a government of any one caste but of 2.75 crore people,” he declared. “This bond is not political; it’s of the heart.” Saini promised that no region, including Rewari, would be neglected.
“We will leave no stone unturned for Rewari’s development,” he assured, highlighting the Rs 288 crore projects as a testament to his government’s commitment.
He also spoke of broader “achievements”, claiming that since 2014, development projects worth Rs 1,916 crore have been implemented in the Rewari Assembly constituency. In the past 10 years, 69 announcements were made for the constituency, of which 61 have been completed, while work is ongoing on 4 others.
The Chief Minister assured that Rewari’s development will now move at three times the current pace. Over the last 10 years, a total of 305 announcements have been made for Rewari district, with 167 fulfilled and work in progress on 18.
Political Analyst Jyoti Mishra, a researcher at the Centre for Study on Developing Societies (CSDS) said that Rao’s confrontation with Saini is rooted in a mix of regional pride and personal ambition.
Speaking to The Print on Tuesday, Mishra said that Rao’s claim, “we made your government,” reflects the Ahirwal belt’s electoral weight, which delivered 10 of 11 seats to the BJP in 2024 assembly polls in Haryana.
“Nangal Choudhary was the only seat that the BJP lost. Incidentally, the BJP’s candidate at Nangal Chaudhary, Abhe Singh Yadav, was not from Rao Inderjit Singh’s camp,” she added.
Even in rest of the South Haryana, BJP won two out of three seats in Palwal and five out of six in Faridabad, she added.
Rao, who led the campaign in South Haryana and ensured tickets for loyalists like his daughter Aarti Rao, sees this as leverage to demand greater focus on Ahirwal’s needs.
His grievances at the Rewari rally included a waterlogged underpass to the Rewari AIIMS, one of India’s 22 AIIMS facilities, noting it remains flooded for three months, causing distress to patients. He also accused former CM Manohar Lal Khattar of neglecting Ahirwal, alleging that Kosli, which gave BJP’s Arvind Sharma a 75,000-vote lead in 2024 and 52,000 previously, was repeatedly ignored.
Rao said that South Haryana’s water crisis remains unresolved, threatening regional development. He cautioned that without addressing water scarcity, “people will leave”, urging the CM to prioritise the issue.
BJP’s dominance in Ahirwal since 2014
The Ahirwal belt, encompassing Rewari, Mahendragarh, and parts of Gurugram districts, is a politically significant region dominated by the Ahir community, with 11 Assembly seats.
South Haryana, which includes Ahirwal along with Faridabad, Palwal, and Nuh districts, comprises 23 seats. Rao Inderjit Singh, a six-term MP from Gurugram and a key Ahir leader, has been instrumental in consolidating BJP’s influence in this region,” said Mishra.
Data available at the Election Commission of India website suggests that in the 2014 assembly polls, the BJP won all 11 seats in the Ahirwal belt, including Rewari, Bawal, Kosli, Pataudi, Badshahpur, Gurugram, Sohna, Ateli, Mahendragarh, Narnaul, and Nangal Chaudhary, marking a clean sweep in this region.
In the 2019 Assembly Elections, the BJP’s tally dropped to 8 seats in the Ahirwal belt, with the party winning three out of four in Mahendragarh (Ateli, Narnaul, Mahendragarh), two out of three in Rewari (Rewari, Bawal), and three out of four in Gurugram (Pataudi, Badshahpur, Gurugram). The party lost Kosli in Rewari and Sohna in Gurugram to Congress, and Nangal Chaudhary to an independent.
In the 2024 Assembly elections, the BJP rebounded strongly, winning 10 out of 11 seats in the Ahirwal belt, including Rewari (Laxman Singh Yadav, defeating Congress’s Chiranjeevi Rao by 28,769 votes), Bawal (Krishna Kumar by 20,011 votes), Kosli (Anil Yadav by 17,209 votes), Pataudi, Badshahpur, Gurugram, Sohna, Ateli, Narnaul, and Mahendragarh.
The BJP’s overall performance in the state saw 47 seats in 2014, 40 in 2019 (forming a coalition with JJP), and 48 in 2024, securing a historic third consecutive term.
“The Ahirwal belt’s loyalty, driven by Rao’s influence, has been a cornerstone of this success, particularly in 2024, when the party nearly replicated its 2014 sweep,” said Jyoti Mishra.
Rao’s tiff with Khattar
Rao’s jab at Khattar—“the previous one (CM) never came to us”—revives his long-standing feud with the former CM, whom he accused of neglecting Ahirwal.
Tensions between Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh have simmered beneath the surface for years, occasionally spilling on to public platforms.
From Rao’s pointed remarks about being sidelined during government events in Gurugram to his open criticism of Khattar’s policies—such as the exclusion of Gurugram from the Smart Cities list and inaction on regional issues like the Kherki-Daula toll—clashes between the two leaders have been hard to ignore.
The power struggle came into sharper focus during ticket distributions in South Haryana, where Rao’s influence in securing seats for his loyalists reportedly irked Khattar’s camp.
After the assembly results, when the BJP won 10 of 11 seats on his turf, Rao Inderjit Singh remarked addressing his workers at his Rampura House, “We had a chief minister, whose name I won’t mention. For a decade, he sought to divide us and set us against one another. He attempted to promote new leaders, but someone who still hasn’t proved their leadership tried to undermine the efforts we’ve made over 40 years.”
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: ‘Tried to divide us for 10 yrs.’ Why Rao Inderjit is taking on fellow Union minister Khattar
