Chandigarh, July 27 (Inditop.com) Sampat Singh, a former leader of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in Haryana, Monday joined Congress at a ceremony here attended by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Sampat Singh, a former finance minister in the Om Parkash Chautala government and a Jat leader, said: “I have joined Congress just as a party worker and have no big expectations. Whatever duty the party would assign me, I would do it with full discipline and loyalty.”
“Today my 101 supporters have also joined Congress and other supporters will also join Congress at the district and block levels,” he added.
Singh had quit INLD July 14 citing differences over the way the party was being run by the family of former chief minister Chautala.
“I was not happy with the way the things were working in INLD. After (former deputy prime minister) Devi Lal, people have destroyed the true principles of the party,” Singh said.
Singh had lost the election for the Hisar Lok Sabha seat by a narrow margin of 7,000 votes to former chief minister and Haryana Janhit Congress leader Bhajan Lal in May.
Singh had earlier offered to resign as an office-bearer of INLD after his defeat but that was rejected by Chautala.
“Sampat Singh is one of the seniormost politicians in Haryana. We welcome him in Congress and hope that his experience will benefit the party,” said Hooda here Monday.
The INLD, which ruled Haryana from 1999 to 2005, was trounced in the February 2005 assembly polls. It returned with only nine seats in the 90-member assembly. Chautala, who contested from two seats, lost in the Narwana constituency.
