Embarrassing viral video hits Congress

New Delhi (IANS): Amidst infighting in its Haryana unit, the Congress has released the list of all the 90 candidates for the October 21 Assembly polls but a viral video featuring its three senior leaders has come as a major embarrassment.

In the video, purportedly shot on Wednesday in the Parliament House complex, Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi's close aide Ahmed Patel and senior Haryana leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda are seen holding an impromptu discussion regarding the affairs of the party.

While another senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is in-charge of Haryana, watches, an upset Patel is seen purportedly asking Hooda, former Chief Minister of Haryana, why the Congress is weak in the state. He is heard asking "where has the party gone?" Hooda is seen giving some explanation to Patel, the Treasurer of the Congress.

After the embarrassing video went viral, the top leadership of the Congress was said to be in a huddle to look for damage control.

Significantly, the video emerged as the infighting in the Haryana Congress came out in the open on Wednesday when former state unit President Ashok Tanwar, along with his hundreds of supporters, staged a protest outside the residence of Sonia Gandhi, alleging wrong doings in the election ticket distribution in the state. Another senior party leader and former Minister Kiran Chowdhary is also said to be unhappy as her recommendation for tickets has been ignored.