In a bid to mollify former chief minister Bhajan Lal’s son Kuldeep Bishnoi, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday visited Adampur in Hisar district to attend the late leader’s birth anniversary function. The gathering was widely viewed as a show of strength by Bishnoi following recent tensions with party colleagues.

Kuldeep had recently expressed anger over BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rekha Sharma’s remarks about his father and had openly warned the party leadership. Saini’s presence at the event was seen as a conciliatory gesture aimed at easing tensions and reaffirming Bishnoi’s importance within the BJP. On Monday, the Chief Minister had also visited Bishnoi’s residence in Delhi.

The rift emerged after a rally in Panchkula on April 25, during the nomination of BJP mayoral candidate Sham Lal Bansal, when Rekha Sharma alleged that the Congress, under Bhajan Lal and his elder son Chander Mohan, had rigged elections through “dishonest practices”. In response, Chander Mohan, a Congress MLA and former deputy chief minister, issued a legal notice demanding an unconditional apology within seven days and warned of legal action if she failed to comply. Sharma’s remarks also drew a sharp reaction from Bhajan Lal’s younger son, Kuldeep Bishnoi, while his supporters and members of the Bishnoi community demanded an apology.

At the time, then BJP state president Mohan Lal Badoli maintained that there was nothing “illegal” in Sharma’s statement and described it as merely “an error in her choice of words”. Bishnoi, however, released a video message criticising Badoli for failing to use respectful language while referring to Bhajan Lal. As Bishnoi warned of political consequences, Badoli accused him of “escalating the issue through social media” and said that a notice would be issued to him.

The BJP leadership subsequently moved to defuse the tension. Rekha Sharma issued a clarification and expressed regret, saying she would withdraw her statement if it had hurt Bhajan Lal’s family and supporters.

In a video message to his supporters on Wednesday, Kuldeep Bishnoi said: “Some people said Kuldeep has forgiven too easily. That is absolutely not the case. I want to tell them that their apology video had come to me two days ago before its release to the public. I saw that video and consulted my well-wishers. It was not an immediate forgiveness, nor a hasty decision. Our politics has been about respect, not revenge.”

The former Lok Sabha MP added: “The way certain incidents took place in recent days and efforts were made to harm the honour of Chaudhary Sahab (Bhajan Lal), my mind was disturbed. The insult of my father was a wound on my soul; for a son, nothing is above the honour of his father. I was about to take a major decision, not only for myself but for the honour of Chaudhary Sahab and the self-respect of all of you. But politics does not run only on emotions. Today, the BJP has again given us respect and support, and I am fully satisfied. Moreover, when the other side has accepted its mistake, apologised and withdrawn its statements, our culture teaches us that the one who forgives is greater.”

He also hit back at critics who claimed his political influence had diminished.

“For some time, some narrow-minded people have been saying that Kuldeep Bishnoi has been confined to Adampur, that he is finished in politics and has lost his support base in the state. If someone loses his support base, people from across Haryana do not gather in such large numbers. I can confidently say that in every village of Haryana there are followers of Chaudhary Sahab and my well-wishers who can make or break someone’s game,” he said.

Meanwhile, several senior BJP leaders, including Union ministers Manohar Lal Khattar and Rao Inderjit Singh, along with state cabinet ministers, paid tributes to Bhajan Lal on his birth anniversary. Haryana Congress leaders, including former Union minister Kumari Selja and Randeep Singh Surjewala, also remembered the late leader and expressed gratitude for his contributions.