After massive victory in Rewari civic polls, BJP faces Rao versus Rao saga yet again as Cabinet Minister Rao Narbir Singh was abruptly removed from his newly assigned post as the Chairman of the Rewari District Grievance Committee, less than forty-eight hours after his appointment.
The Haryana government issued a revised roster on late Saturday evening, shifting the high-profile Rewari and Jhajjar portfolios away from Narbir. While he retains Jhajjar, his jurisdiction over Rewari has been rescinded and replaced with Hansi district.
Political circles in Chandigarh and the Ahirwal belt are abuzz with assertions that the unceremonious reallocation was executed at the explicit behest of Union Minister of State and Gurugram Member of Parliament Rao Inderjit Singh who was reportedly unhappy with Narbir’s introduction to his legacy turf Rewari though he remained unavailable to confirm the same.
The duo has been engaging in verbal tiffs since many months. Narbir had recently invited the CM to contest from Ahirwal saying it was the only way the region would be the CM’s turf. He took a dig at Inderjit’s long standing unfulfilled wish to be Chief Minister.
The bureaucratic U-turn follows closely on the heels of a significant local political triumph for Rao Inderjit. In the recent Manesar Municipal Corporation and Rewari civic elections, candidates backed by the Union Minister consolidated a decisive grip over the local bodies.
The friction between the two stalwarts peaked openly during the mayoral race.
Rao Narbir had actively thrown his weight behind the official BJP nominee Sundar Lal Sarpanch. In direct opposition, Dr Inderjeet Kaur Yadav contested independently, campaigning strictly as a loyalist of Rao Inderjit Singh. Following her victory, Rao Inderjit officially inducted her into the party fold, effectively dealing a blow to Narbir’s regional strategy and cementing his own absolute authority over the civic administration.
Attempting to downplay the sudden administrative shake-up, Rao Narbir Singh adopted a pragmatic stance when questioned by reporters regarding the realignment.
“I never requested charge of any specific district from the high command. As a minister in the Cabinet, it is my administrative duty to fulfill whatever responsibility the government assigns to me. These portfolios are subject to routine rotation, and I look forward to addressing the public grievances in Hansi with equal dedication," said an official spokesperson on his behalf.
Despite the seasoned attempt to frame the decision as a routine administrative exercise, insiders reveal that the state leadership was left with little choice but to concede to Rao Inderjit’s objections to avoid an open rebellion in his core territory.
The Rewari reassignment is merely the latest chapter in a long-standing feud between the two dominant Ahir leaders of the region. The continuous tug-of-war for regional dominance has regularly hampered local governance, most notably paralyzing the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG).
Due to the persistent gridlock between the Inderjit and Narbir factions over candidate selection and seat sharing, the millennium city has been left entirely without a Senior Deputy Mayor and a Deputy Mayor for over a year. Scheduled elections for these civic posts have been repeatedly deferred or stalled at the eleventh hour due to lack of consensus and deliberate boycotts by local councillors aligned with the respective camps.
