BJP MP Rao Inderjit Singh objects to 'community-specific' Partition event in Gurugram

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday organised a State-level programme in Gurugram to mark the annual Partition remembrance day, but the event took an unexpected turn when Union Minister of State for Planning and MP Rao Inderjit Singh objected to what he called a “community-specific” presentation and questioned the exclusion of local leaders.

The programme, titled Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas, was held at Sector 29 and attended by BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Union Minister Manohar Lal and Haryana BJP president Archana Gupta. The day is commemorated to remember the suffering of millions during the Partition of India in 1947. While the official purpose was to honour that memory, attention quickly shifted to internal political dynamics within the Haryana unit of the party.

Raising his objections from the dais, Mr. Singh said he was unhappy with the way the event had been organised. “People from various parts have come to this event. I think local people have not been invited today. I object to this,” he said. He thanked Ms. Gupta for inviting Mr. Nabin but noted that the programme had been turned into a party event rather than staying, in his words, a programme of a “specific community”.

Mr. Singh then addressed the national president directly. He welcomed Mr. Nabin but asked pointedly whether he would have been invited had the national president not been present. He drew comparisons with other districts, asking if Panipat’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Bhatia or Karnal’s MP Manohar Lal would be ignored in similar gatherings held there.

He also brought up Mr. Lal’s political trajectory, recounting that Haryana had the first Punjabi Chief Minister and reminding the audience that Mr. Lal became Chief Minister with the backing of people across communities. Referring to Gurugram’s political past, he said Dharambir Gaba, the city’s first Punjabi MLA, won four elections with support spanning communities, not just from Punjabi voters.

“Most of those unsettled from Pakistan came to Haryana, and the people of Haryana welcomed them,” Mr. Singh said, asserting that the legacy of Partition belonged to the entire State rather than a single community. His speech, however, was cut short mid-way.

According to sources in Mr. Singh’s office, the Minister had not received a formal invitation from the organisers, the Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Nyas. When the Chief Minister’s Office contacted him on Thursday afternoon to confirm his participation, his staff reportedly pointed out the absence of a formal invitation. This reportedly prompted administrative intervention. Following this, Ms. Gupta called Mr. Singh, informed him about Mr. Nabin’s presence, and extended an invitation.

An invitation letter issued by the organisers and shared by Mr. Singh’s office did not list the local MP as a participant. But an invitation issued by the local administration did mention him as a guest of honour. Convenor Bodhraj Sikri told The Hindu that the district administration’s invitation was forwarded to Mr. Singh on Thursday evening.

The incident underlines the sensitivities around representation and community identity within the Haryana BJP. The party has yet to issue a formal statement on the matter.