Chandigarh : Former Haryana chief minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda briefly walked out of a conference of serving and former legislators in Panchkula on Monday after finding his photograph missing from publicity hoardings at the venue, prompting senior officials and Assembly Speaker Harvinder Kalyan to intervene.
Hooda, who had arrived to attend the Janpratinidhi Sammelan organised by the Haryana Legislative Assembly at the Indradhanush Auditorium, expressed strong displeasure over what he described as disrespectful treatment.
“This is sheer misbehaviour. I came specially to attend this programme,” Hooda told officials as he began leaving the venue.
Several officials followed the Congress leader and tried to persuade him to return. Assembly Speaker Harvinder Kalyan also spoke to Hooda over the telephone to resolve the matter.
After prolonged efforts by the organisers, Hooda agreed to return to the conference. His photograph was subsequently added to the backdrop on the main stage, according to reports from the venue.
Congress legislators B.B. Batra and Aftab Ahmed had also walked out after Hooda left the auditorium.
The incident caused an embarrassing situation for the organisers of the conference, which was attended by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Haryana Governor Prof. Ashim Kumar Ghosh and Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.
The gathering was organised to bring together serving and former lawmakers who have represented Haryana during different periods since the state’s formation in 1966.
A total of 233 serving and former legislators, including 57 sitting and 176 former MLAs, attended the conference, according to figures provided by the organisers.
The programme was intended to provide a platform for legislators from four generations to exchange experiences and discuss the role of elected representatives in strengthening democratic institutions and Haryana’s development.
Discussions at the conference focused on constitutional values, parliamentary traditions, the state’s development over the past six decades and the contribution of elected representatives towards achieving the goal of a developed Haryana.
Among those attending were former Assembly Speakers Gian Chand Gupta, Kanwar Pal Gurjar, Kuldeep Sharma and Dr Raghuvir Singh Kadian.
Former Deputy Speakers Santosh Yadav and Azad Mohammad were also present.
Haryana Cabinet Minister Anil Vij and former Speaker Raghuvir Singh Kadian, both seven-time legislators, were among the senior political figures participating in the event.
The conference brought together politicians from different parties and generations, many of whom have served in the Assembly during major political and administrative changes in Haryana.
However, the disagreement over Hooda’s photograph briefly overshadowed the proceedings before the Congress leader returned following the Speaker’s intervention.
There was no immediate official explanation from the organisers for the omission of Hooda’s photograph from the publicity material.
