How BJP's Partition day event in Gurgaon exposed its Haryana fault lines

At a BJP Partition Horrors Remembrance Day event in Haryana's Gurugram, Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh objected to being sidelined by the party in his own constituency. A day later, BJP MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi backed Rao, over ignoring senior leaders. This has brought Haryana BJP's fault lines to the fore.The event was held at Gurugram's Maharana Pratap Swarn Jayanti Park on August 14 to mark the BJP's Partition Horrors Remembrance Day programme. (Image: Haryana BJP)An event meant to mark and remember one of India's most painful divides ended up highlighting a divide within the Haryana BJP on public display.Speaking at the BJP's Partition Horrors Remembrance Day programme in Gurugram on Friday, Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh turned on the stage to air his grievance over being sidelined in his own Lok Sabha constituency, Gurugram. With BJP national president Nitin Nabin and Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on the stage, the six-time MP questioned why local representatives like him had not been given their due at the event.A day later, another Haryana BJP veteran, Kuldeep Bishnoi, backed Rao Inderjit Singh. Bishnoi's intervention turned Rao's Gurugram outburst into a bigger debate over the BJP's treatment of its old guard. Bishnoi, who has represented Hisar and Bhiwani Lok Sabha seats, is now a Haryana MLA. He warned that giving opportunities to younger leaders should not mean diminishing the stature of seniors or making them feel neglected, according to a post on X by Bishnoi.Gurugram MP Rao Singh claimed that his name was not among the speakers and suggested he might not have been invited at all had it not been a programme attended by the party leadership. Some reports said Singh subsequently walked off the stage. The episode has reopened fault lines in the Haryana BJP. Rao, an Ahirwal strongman, has had an uneasy relationship with former CM Khattar for much of the BJP's decade in power in the state. Their differences have surfaced over political influence, ticket distribution and governance style.The episode also carried a Punjabi-Ahirwal (region of Ahirs or Yadavs) undertone, with Rao questioning the prominence given to Punjabis on the event. Rao belongs to the Ahir (Yadav) community, which is dominant in southern Haryana. Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini has Punjabi roots, and his predecessor, Khattar, is Punjabi Khatri. So, Kuldeep Bishnoi's decision to explicitly describe Rao Inderjit Singh as a "veteran leader of Ahirwal" adds to that flavour. New Delhi-based journalist Anil Anand took a swipe at Rao. He wrote on X, "Even after all this, Rao Inderjit continues to tolerate humiliation. Rao sahab must have some weakness."The BJP observes Partition Horrors Remembrance Day on August 14 to commemorate the suffering and displacement caused by India's Partition in 1947.GURGAON MP RAO INDERJIT ASKS WHY HE WAS EVEN THEREThe flashpoint came at the state-level Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas (Partition Horrors Remembrance Day) programme at Gurugram's Maharana Pratap Swarn Jayanti Park on August 14. BJP chief Nabin was the chief guest, while Union Minister Khattar, and other senior leaders were present.Rao used his turn at the microphone to question the manner in which the programme had been organised and why local representatives appeared to have been overlooked."I welcome you as the MP here, but I felt that I did not get the opportunity to welcome you. In Gurgaon, in Haryana, people from [present-day Pakistan's] Dera Ghazi Khan, Mianwali and many other places have settled. Today, in this assembly, perhaps, no local people have been invited. I have an objection to this," Rao said.He then addressed Nabin directly."But Nitin ji, I would like to ask you, these Punjabi politicians, who cannot invite the MP of their party, was it not right for me to come here without you?" Rao asked.The remark appeared pointed as Khattar was sitting on the dais. Rao went on to argue that political success in Haryana could not be attributed to one community alone."But you people have done it in such a way, as if you are your own people, we have no contribution. Two chiefs were made, the Chief Minister was made, the MLA was made in Gurgaon," he said, adding how he had been treated during the programme."And for this, I thank you, Mr Nabin, and I thank our Madam, that if there was no party programme, then neither would I have been called, and since I did not have a name in this speech, then I was not even allowed to speak," he added.Indian Army veteran Lt Col Sushil Singh Sheoran (Retired) took to X and alleged that the Haryana BJP had become increasingly entangled in caste politics and that Rao Inderjit Singh had been underestimated by the party leadership."They significantly underestimated Rao Inderjit Singh, an Ahir and a former counterbalance of power within the Haryana Congress. Singh has now voiced strong opposition against his own party," Sheoran wrote, alleging that the episode reflected divisive caste politics within the state BJP.MLA KULDEEP BISHNOI BACKS RAO, WARNS BJPThe row might have ended with Rao Inderjit's outburst. But Haryana MLA and two-time MP Kuldeep Bishnoi's intervention the following day gave it a wider political dimension."Union Minister and veteran leader of Ahirwal, Shri Rao Inderjit Singh Ji, is an extremely senior, experienced, and respected leader in the politics of the country and Haryana. His significant contribution has been to the formation of the BJP government in Haryana, the expansion of the party, and strengthening the organisation," Bishnoi said.He then made the issue about more than Rao."I firmly believe that the true strength of any political party is also determined by how much respect it gives to its senior leaders, their struggles, experience, and contributions. Bringing the new generation forward in the organisation, providing opportunities for new faces, and preparing leadership from the second and third lines is essential, but this should never mean diminishing the political stature of senior leaders or making them feel neglected," added Bishnoi, who's the son of Bhajan Lal, the three-time Haryana CM and Union Minister."The party should fully leverage their experience and public base. Ignoring senior leaders or sending any wrong message regarding their respect ultimately does not strengthen the organisation but weakens it," Bishnoi said.Bishnoi concluded that the BJP needed both generations."The BJP is a strong organisation, and its strength lies in the better coordination between the experience of senior leadership and the energy of young leadership. Respect for seniors and opportunities for the younger generation. Both must go hand in hand. Only then will the organisation become even stronger," he added on his X post.The Gurugram episode by itself does not establish a full-blown rebellion within the Haryana BJP. But it has brought existing tensions into public view. The community undertones add another layer to the row. And the older battles over influence, representation and organisational control are very much part of the equation.- EndsPublished By: Sushim MukulPublished On: Aug 18, 2026 08:31 IST