Chandigarh: The destiny of Sirsa MLA and Haryana Lokhit Celebration (HLP) chief Gopal Kanda hangs within the stability with a Delhi courtroom set to ship its verdict Tuesday within the Geetika Sharma abetment to suicide case during which he’s the principle accused.
A former air hostess with Kanda’s now-defunct MLDR airways, Sharma was discovered lifeless on 5 August, 2012 at her residence in Delhi. She left a suicide observe accusing Gopal Kanda of harassing and ‘misusing’ her with the energetic support of his HR Supervisor Aruna Chadha.
On the time of his arrest in reference to the case in 2012, Kanda was a minister within the then Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress authorities in Haryana. He was additionally booked for rape, however that cost in opposition to him was dropped by the Delhi Excessive Court docket in 2013.
Six months after Geetika’s demise, her mom Anuradha Sharma died by suicide on February 16, 2013, forsaking a suicide observe accusing Kanda and Chadha of forcing her daughter to take the intense step.
Minimize to 2023 and Kanda’s identify resurfaced earlier this month when his celebration, the Haryana Lokhit Celebration (HLP), discovered point out within the checklist of 38 events recognized as constituents of the Bharatiya Janata Celebration-led Nationwide Democratic Alliance (NDA). The checklist was shared with the media by the BJP forward of a gathering of NDA allies held in New Delhi on 18 July. However neither Kanda nor any of his celebration functionaries have been seen collaborating within the assembly.
His youthful brother Gobind Kanda informed ThePrint that their celebration is a part of the NDA however he couldn’t attend the assembly as a result of he had some essential work to take care of.
ThePrint reached Gopal Kanda for remark however calls to him went unanswered. This report will probably be up to date when a response is obtained.
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Political journey
Born in December 1965, Gopal Kanda and his youthful brother Gobind began off with small companies — a radio restore outlet and a shoe retailer — in Haryana’s Sirsa earlier than the older brother determined to maneuver to Gurugram to strive his luck in the true property sector.
Inside just a few years, he scripted a rags-to-riches story. Locals in Sirsa knew him as a businessman who made an enormous fortune in actual property. He was additionally seen as somebody near the Chautalas when the Indian Nationwide Lok Dal (INLD) was in energy within the state.
In his heyday, Tara Baba ashram, a non-public non secular place within the identify of Kandas’ household guru, was a taking place deal with. The Kandas used to ask movie stars and singers equivalent to Hema Malini and Narender Chanchal to the ashram throughout its annual features.
As soon as the INLD was out of energy in 2005, Kanda started distancing himself from the Chautala clan. Months earlier than the October 2009 meeting election, he introduced that he would contest the polls from Sirsa. He gained as an Impartial, defeating INLD’s Padam Jain and went on to develop into a junior minister within the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led cupboard.
However his fortune nosedived after he acquired embroiled within the Geetika Sharma case. He was made to resign from the council of ministers following his arrest in reference to the case and was was granted bail solely in September 2013 after spending 13 months in jail.
On Might 2, 2014, simply earlier than the parliamentary elections, Kanda launched HLP and was seen attempting to cozy up with the BJP, citing his father Murli Dhar Kanda’s connections with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He had claimed then that his father as soon as contested from an meeting seat in Sirsa (in undivided Punjab) on a Jana Sangh ticket.
Within the 2014 meeting elections later that 12 months, Kanda misplaced narrowly in Sirsa to INLD’s Makhan Lal Singla by a margin of two,938 votes.
He did, nonetheless, win in Sirsa within the 2019 meeting polls and immediately provided help to the BJP that fell in need of the bulk mark by six — having gained 40 seats within the 90-member meeting. His youthful brother Gobind Kanda, although he misplaced to INLD’s Ram Chand Kamboj in Rania, relegated Ranjit Singh Chautala of the Congress to the third place.
Simply when Kanda’s supporters have been hoping that he could be inducted as a minister, former Union minister Uma Bharti in a collection of tweets criticised him for his alleged involvement within the Geetika Sharma suicide case. Going through criticism, the BJP rejected his provide of help and aligned with Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janata Celebration (JJP) to type the federal government.
The BJP quickly realized the significance of the Kanda brothers, and each the BJP and the JJP fielded Gobind Kanda as their joint candidate within the Ellenabad meeting bypoll in November 2021. However the youthful Kanda brother misplaced to Abhay Singh Chautala of the INLD.
However the ballot setback, the presence of HLP within the checklist of NDA constituents means that the Kandas are nonetheless related in Haryana politics.
In June this 12 months, Gopal Kanda and his youthful brother was seen making preparations for Union House Minister Amit Shah’s 18 June rally in Sirsa. Gopal Kanda, nonetheless, reportedly left the venue earlier than Shah’s arrival.
Of their 2019 ballot affidavits, Gopal and Gobind Kanda had said their internet price at Rs 95 crore and Rs 65 crore, respectively. Gopal Kanda had additionally talked about that he was then dealing with 9 prison circumstances, together with two the place he stood accused of abetment to suicide.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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