A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) event meant to commemorate the horrors of Partition turned into an unexpected display of the party’s internal fault lines in Gurugram on Friday, with Union Minister of State for Planning and MP Rao Inderjit Singh publicly objecting to the programme being projected as a “community-specific” event and questioning why local leaders had not been invited.
The State-level Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas programme at Sector 29 brought together BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Union Minister Manohar Lal and Haryana BJP president Archana Gupta. But the spotlight soon shifted from Partition remembrance to the politics within the Haryana BJP.
Taking the microphone, Mr. Singh made it clear that 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, before thanking Ms. Gupta for inviting Mr. Nabin and turning the programme into a party event rather than allowing it to remain, in his words, a programme of a “specific community”.
Draws comparisons
Mr. Singh then directly addressed Mr. Nabin, welcoming him, while pointedly questioning whether he himself would have been invited had the national president not attended. The Gurugram MP drew comparisons with other BJP leaders. If such a programme were held in Panipat, he asked, would Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Bhatia not be invited? And if it were held in Karnal, would local MP Manohar Lal not be invited?
He also took a swipe at Mr. Lal, recalling that Haryana had been the first State to have a Punjabi Chief Minister and stressing that Mr. Lal had become the Chief Minister with the support of people from all communities.
Invoking Gurugram’s political history, Mr. Singh recalled that Dharambir Gaba, the city’s first Punjabi MLA, had won four times – not merely on Punjabi votes, but with support across communities.
“Most of those unsettled from Pakistan came to Haryana, and the people of Haryana welcomed them,” Mr. Singh said, underlining that Partition’s legacy belonged to the people of the entire State rather than any one community.
However, Mr. Singh’s address was stopped midway.
Sources in Mr. Singh’s office said the Minister had not received a formal invitation from the organisers, the Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Nyas. According to the sources, when the Chief Minister’s Office contacted Mr. Singh on Thursday afternoon to confirm his participation, his staff pointed out that no formal invitation had been received. The issue reportedly prompted administrative intervention. Ms. Gupta subsequently called Mr. Singh, informed him about Mr. Nabin’s presence and invited him to the programme.
An invitation letter issued by the organisers and shared by Mr. Singh’s office did not list the local MP’s name. An invitation issued by the local administration, however, did mention him as a guest of honour.
Convenor Bodhraj Sikri told The Hindu that the invitation letter from the district administration was forwarded to Mr. Singh on Thursday evening.
Published – August 15, 2026 01:26 am IST
