Why is Congress silent on the Sandeep Singh issue?

New Delhi: A muted response by the Congress on allegations of sexual harassment against Haryana minister Sandeep Singh by a woman coach has surprised many.

There have been vociferous demands for his sacking but Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar just stripped him of his sports portfolio.

The issue had given the opposition Congress a strong handle to target the BJP government but its deafening silence on the matter is intriguing.

Except for a brief statement by Rajya Sabha member Deepender Singh Hooda, who demanded a fair probe into the matter and dismissal of the minister, the other leaders haven't spoken.

A senior Congress leader from Haryana expressed surprise over his party not going after the ruling BJP on the issue.

According to him, the state Congress leadership rather than attacking the ruling BJP appears to be keen on giving a clean chit to the government.

In contrast, the government is facing the ire of Khap panchayats and the Jat community at large. They have served an ultimatum to the government to sack Singh or else face a statewide agitation.

They have argued how can an accused continue to enjoy the ministerial power despite being booked by the Chandigarh Police under the sexual harassment charge.

The khap leaders have also asked the chief minister to withdraw his statement claiming the allegation of the complainant in this case as “anargal (unrestrained)". They termed it unwanted and asked the government not to make a statement in favour of anyone.

Women Jat leaders have also upped the ante against the BJP government. Leading from the front is young Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sonia Doohan. On Sunday, she held a 'rosh (anguish) panchayat' at Narnaund in Hisar district.

Doohan threatened to escalate the protests against the BJP across the state if the government did not arrest Singh immediately. Her supporters burned Khattar's effigy to protest his statement on the issue. The panchayat also banned Singh's entry into Narnaund.

Doohan shot to the limelight in 2019 after she rescued four NCP legislators from a Gurgaon resort, enabling the formation of the Maha Vikas Agadhi government in Maharashtra. She again tried to persuade the rebel Shiv Sena legislators who had revolted against their boss and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. She went to Guwahati first and then tried to reach out to the rebels in Goa where she was arrested for allegedly using fake IDs to book a room in the same hotel where these Sena legislators were lodged.

Doohan has emerged as the prominent Jat woman face of the agitation.

She has also sought to puncture the BJP's 'Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao' slogan by rallying the women of Haryana against the ruling party.

It was in Panipat that Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the much-touted nationwide 'Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao' scheme on January 22, 2015.

Certainly, the sexual harassment charge against its minister has put the BJP on a mat in Haryana but the main opposition is virtually missing in action.