‘Photo protocol’ breached again, poster triggers buzz over rift in Hry Cong

Hisar: Factional undercurrents within the Haryana Congress have resurfaced once again, this time over alleged violations of the party's "photo protocol" ahead of an event in Narnaund of Hansi district.Congress MLA Jassi Petwar is scheduled to inaugurate his office on Feb 22, but the publicity material for the programme has triggered fresh political chatter. While Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda and Hisar MP Jaiprakash "JP" were named on the poster, Haryana Congress president Rao Narendra Singh was neither invited nor formally informed about the event, according to his statement.
The controversy deepened over the absence of photographs of two senior leaders — Sirsa MP Kumari Selja and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala — from the poster. Both are national general secretaries of the Congress. Their omission has raised questions within party circles about whether it was an oversight or a reflection of ongoing factionalism in the state unit.The issue gained prominence in the backdrop of repeated calls for unity from senior leadership, including Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.Fatehabad Episode Adds to DebateThe Narnaund incident followed a similar episode in Fatehabad, where posters reportedly did not feature photographs of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda. Party insiders said repeated lapses in adhering to the "photo protocol" were fuelling speculation about internal divisions.What is the ‘Photo Protocol'?The "photo protocol" was recently implemented by state president Rao Narendra Singh to ensure uniformity in party publicity material. Under the directive, photographs of national leaders — Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, KC Venugopal and BK Hariprasad — must be displayed at official events.At the state level, the protocol mandates inclusion of photographs of Rao Narendra Singh, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Kumari Selja, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Deepender Singh Hooda. District units were also instructed to feature local MPs and MLAs on event posters.Previous Controversy in HisarThis was not the first time the issue surfaced in Hisar. Earlier, photographs of Selja and Surjewala were missing from banners outside the district office. Following a party notice, revised posters were issued with all mandated leaders included.Hisar urban district Congress president Bajrang Das Garg was also recently in the spotlight over his absence from a 10-day training camp for district presidents in Kurukshetra and subsequent organisational meetings in Chandigarh.Deepender's Outreach in FocusPolitical observers also recalled the recent luncheon hosted in New Delhi by former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda at the official residence of Deepender Singh Hooda, which saw participation from nearly 90 opposition MPs. The presence of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi at the gathering was seen as politically significant, particularly amid speculation of factional divides within the Haryana unit.State Chief ReactsHaryana Congress president Rao Narendra Singh said he had no prior information about the Narnaund programme. "I did not receive any invitation. The party issued clear instructions under the photo protocol that photographs of all designated leaders must be displayed, as it sends a positive message. It is possible that this was a personal event," he said.Caption of photo: Invitation poster for the proposed Narnaund event in Hisar district