Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Thursday announced that a new university would be opened to serve the southern region of the state.

The chief minister was speaking at a "Vikas rally" in Meerpur village of Rewari district, some 50 km from Gurgaon.

About seven weeks ago, the Congress party's defiant Gurgaon MP and former union minister Rao Inderjit Singh had announced the formation of a front to counter the "step-motherly treatment" meted out to southern Haryana.

The announcement by the chief minister is being seen as one measure to counter that allegation of partiality.

Hooda said the Meerpur Regional Centre would be upgraded into a university, which will be named after late prime minister Indira Gandhi.

One of the longstanding demands of the region has thus been fulfilled.

The new university would be the first in Ahirwal, the belt comprising Gurgaon, Rewari, Mewat, Mahendergarh and Bhiwani districts.

Addressing the rally, Hooda said his government pays full attention to the development of all the areas of the state, including Rewari.

"Even today, I have dedicated eleven projects costing over Rs.160.64 crore to the people of this area, for which I have either laid foundation stones or inaugurated the project," Hooda said, as he also announced a sum of Rs.15 crore for the development of Rewari, and Rs.one crore for the village Meerpur.

Without naming Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjeet Singh, but offering clear hints about whom he was referring to, Hooda said that allegations of partiality were being hurled at him, and it was alleged that he was neglecting some areas of the state.

Rao Inderjit Singh had launched a new outfit, the Haryana Insaaf Manch (HIM) at a rally at Pataudi March 3.

He announced a "fight for justice" for the people of south Haryana at the massive "insaaf" (justice) rally, and said that many rallies would be held under the HIM banner across the state.

Singh alleged that dedicated Congress workers had been sidelined in the past decade. Hooda, he claimed, was not only biased against south Haryana but was also fuelling factionalism in the party.

Inderjit Singh was first elected to the Lok Sabha as a member of parliament in 1998. He was member of parliament during 1998-1999, 2000-2004, and 2004-2009.

Since 2009 he has chaired the parliamentary committee on information technology. Inderjit Singh was elected four times as MLA in Haryana since 1977.