ML Khattar came to Delhi today for holding talks on government formation in Haryana. (File)
Declaring that the people of Haryana have rejected the BJP, the Congress on Friday accused the party of using allurements of money and power to get a majority and said a government formed through such means would be "illegitimate".
A day after results threw up a hung assembly in Haryana, the scene of action shifted to Delhi with Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar and his Congress rival Bhupinder Singh Hooda in the city to strategise on formation of government.
In an important development, Haryana Lokhit Party leader Gopal Kanda, who has won the Sirsa seat, on Friday claimed he and the Independents have "decided to extend unconditional support to the BJP".
Hitting out at the BJP for taking Mr Kanda's support, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters, "I think you should look at the statements made by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah at the time when Gopal Kanda was a minister in the (Congress) government in Haryana when we forced him to resign after registration of a case and also removed him from ministership."
"What was the stance of the BJP then and what sort of doublespeak is the BJP doing today," he said, accusing the party of displaying "hunger for power".
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been decisively rejected and those who said they will get a 75-seat mandate have not even touched the majority mark, Mr Surjewala said.
"They (the BJP) have no right to form a government. Defections are coming to play with allurements of money and power and of positions in government being the sole criteria for forming a government in Haryana," he alleged.
Asked about the narrow margins of defeat of some Congress candidates and recount at some seats in Haryana, Mr Surjewala said, "We all knew how money and muscle power and the ruling dispensation used the entire machinery to help certain candidates and the medium of recounting was used to defeat four-five Congress candidates."
"Whatever they may do, finally democracy has prevailed and democracy has spoken. BJP has not been given a mandate to rule. Any government that the BJP forms will be an illegitimate and illegally constituted government," he added.
On whether the Congress was making efforts to form the government, Mr Surjewala said Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja and Mr Hooda would take a call and only they can comment on it.
The ruling BJP emerged the largest party with 40 seats, six short of the halfway mark needed to form the next government, while the Congress bagged 31 seats. With no real clear winner, the seven Independents and the Jannayak Janta Party with 10 seats hold the key to power in the state.
The Indian National Lok Dal and Haryana Lokhit Party bagged one seat each.