The ‘chacha-bhatija’ feud in Haryana’s influential Chautala family escalated on Friday with reports of suspension of Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala and his younger brother Digvijay Chautala from the party.While the party leaders termed the reports of suspension as ‘rumors’, Leader of opposition and senior party leader Abhay Singh Chautala claimed having no knowledge about the same.
Abhay Chautala on Friday also played down an apparent rift within the Chautala family, which has gone public after the INLD supremo OP Chautala dissolved the party’s youth wing and student wing INSO a day before.
Digvijay Singh Chautala, who was national president of now-disbanded INSO, reiterated on Friday that the INSO cannot be dissolved by anyone except its founding member and its executive committee during a press conference in the national capital while Abhay Chautala at a press conference in Haryana’s capital Chandigarh maintained that OP Chautala is fully authorised to take any decision in this regard and it does not matter who says what.
While Abhay Chautala and his nephew Digvijay Chautala gave contradictory statements on Friday, Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala is yet to respond on the ongoing turmoil in the party.
Abhay Singh Chautala is the younger son of OP Chautala. Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala and Digvijay Chautala are sons of INLD's state secretary general Ajay Singh Chautala, Abhay's elder brother.
The rift within the Chautala family had came to the fore on Thursday, when OP Chautala had dissolved the party's student and youth wings — headed by Dushyant and Digvijay respectively.
While the party leaders has brushed aside the reports of suspension of Dushyant and Digvijay as “rumors”, party sources said that both leaders have been given seven days time to respond to the allegations leveled against them.
The party in a press statement issued on Thursday had stated that both youth and students wings have been dissolved after they were “found to be lacking in discipline and commitment to the ideals of the INLD”.
Political observers feel that with the recent organizational changes in the party, OP Chautala has sided with his younger son Abhay Chautala, who will be leading the party in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The decision is seen as a bid to cut Dushyant and his younger brother Digvijay who was heading the INSO to size. There had been reports of ongoing “war of succession” between Abhay Singh Chautala and Dushyant for a long time.
The senior Chautala's decision to dissolve the youth wing and student wing had came days after a group of youths allegedly indulged in hooting at the Gohana rally on October 7 when the Abhay Chautala was speaking, while there were cheers for Dushyant Chautala as he spoke.
In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Dushyant had successfully contested from Hisar seat and became the youngest MP at 27.
Ajay Singh Chautala along with his father OP Chautala are currently serving jail term in the teachers' recruitment scam.
Abhay Chautala denies any rift in the party
Senior INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala on Friday played down an apparent rift within the Chautala family saying nephews Dushyant and Digvijay are “our children”.
At the same time, he maintained that anyone violating the party discipline will face action.
"There are no differences with Dushyant and Digvijay, they are our children," Abhay Singh Chautala said while talking to the mediapersons here.
But discipline is our party’s biggest strength. If any person violates that, party will take action, he added.
When asked whether Dushyant Chautala has been suspended from the party, Chautala said he had no knowledge about this.
On OP’s Chautala decision to dissolve party’s youth and students wing, he said the student and youth wings were asked to ensure a smooth conduct of the rally. But they failed to do so and Chautala Sahab took this step.
On Digvijay Chautala’s claims that only INSO founder Ajay Singh Chautala or its executive committee could dissolve the wing, the Leader of opposition said, “INSO is a part of INLD. Everyone knows it well and they hold all their programmes under the party flag. OP Chautala is fully authorised to take any decision in this regard. It does now matter who say what on this now….”
When asked about the INLD chief effecting a restructuring in the party, he said party leaders at a meeting on October 3 in Gurugram authorised OP Chautala to carry out changes in the organisation. It is for him (O P Chautala) to see what task he has to entrust to whom in the party organisation and who has to be relieved of what duty.”
“Those who worked hard, they were again entrusted with various responsibilities and those who failed to perform...they were asked to give chance to others. And this is an election year,” he said when asked to comment on restructuring in INLD.
When further pushed to answer on ongoing turmoil in the party, Chautala told mediapersons that they should be more worried about farmers of Haryana and not about changes in the INLD.
Digvijay Chautala maintains INSO is independent body
Going against his grandfather’s decision, Digvijay Chautala, who was national president of now-disbanded INSO, on Friday maintained that INSO is an independent body and has a separate constitution.
INSO can only be dissolved by founder member Ajay Chautala or its executive committee, said Digvijay while talking to the mediapersons in New Delhi on Friday evening.
On a question whether he is going against his grandfather’s decision, he said, “I respect OP Chautala Sahab but INSO cannot be dissolved like this.” Both OP Chautala and Abhay Chautala are not members of INSO executive committee, he said in reply to a question.
He further said that INLD has 17 wings as documents submitted with the Election Commission and INSO is not mentioned in those documents.
On reports of suspension of Dushyant from the party, he said they did not get any such communication from the party.
On allegations of indiscipline and anti-party activities leveled against youth and student wing, Digvijay said that an inquiry should have been carried out into this. People had raised slogans of zindabad and not murdabad against anyone at the Gohana rally held on October 7.
When asked about rift in the Chautala family, Digvijay denied such reports saying that everything is fine in the family and the party.
On meeting with OP Chautala and Ajay Chautala on recent development, Digvijay said that he will soon meet them.
New changes announced in the party
INLD chief OP Chautala announced more organizational changes in the party on Friday. Ashok Arora will remain INLD’s Haryana chief while Ajay Singh Chautala will remain as party’s secretary general.
MLA Jasvinder Sandhu, Satvir Verma, OmPrakash, Rajender Bisla and Chaudhary Sunil Yadav have been appointed as vice presidents of state party unit. The political affair committee will include Ashok Arora, Ajay Chautala, Abhay Chautala, former MLA Sher Singh, MLA Jaswinder Singh, Gopichand Gehlot, Subhash Goyal among others.