Nothing seems to be going well for the Indian National Lok Dal, Haryana’s main opposition party. While INLD’s alliance with the BSP is on the verge of break up after party’s humiliating defeat in Jind bypoll, another party MLA on Wednesday extended support to its splinter group, Jannayak Janta Party.
Skipping party’s executive committee meeting in Chandigarh, Pirthi Singh, INLD MLA from Narwana assembly constituency on Wednesday announced his support to Dushyant Chautala’s JJP in Hisar.
Three party MLAs including Naina Chautala, Anoop Dhanak and Rajdeep Phogat are already openly supporting the JJP.
INLD’s chief OP Chautala elder son-Ajay Singh Chautala -is patron of the JJP while his two sons–Hisar MP Dushyant and Digvijay-are spearheading the party in the absence of Ajay, who is serving a jail term in connection with the teachers recruitment scam in Haryana.
Following INLD’s poor performance in Jind bypoll, BSP supremo Mayawati has also hinted at breaking nine-month old ties with the INLD ahead of Lok Sabha polls. The Leader of opposition and INLD’s senior leader Abhay Chautala has however denied the reports of breakup of alliance and said that INLD-BSP combine will contest the upcoming polls.
In the recently held Jind bypoll, the INLD had not failed to retain its Jind assembly seat, which it had won in 2009 and 2014 polls, but also ended up at fifth spot behind the candidates of BJP, JJP, Congress and Loktantra Suraksha Party.
The party’s candidate Umed Singh Redhu could secure only 3454 votes and had even lost his security deposit.
BJP’s Krishan Middha had registered an emphatic win while OP Chautala’s grandson Digvijay Chautala of the JJP had finished at number two spot.
With this, the number of INLD MLAs in the State Assembly has fallen to 17 and four of them have extended support to the JJP.
While Abhay Chautala denied the reports of Pirthi Singh joining the JJP, his concern to keep the flock together was clear during the party’s executive committee meeting held at Jat Bhawan here.
During the meeting, the party discussed the reasons of its poor performance in the bypoll and also, chalked out strategy for upcoming budget session of Haryana Assembly.
OP Chautala’s younger son Abhay Chautala, while addressing the party leaders and workers asked them not to get influenced by the JJP and stay with the INLD.
He also claimed that Dushyant is trying to influence another party MP Charanjeet Singh Rori to join the JJP. INLD was founded by Choudhry Devi Lal and its roots will stay strong forever but the party leaders and workers should be careful to not get influenced by others ahead of the election, he said.
He also told the partymen that OP Chautala will soon be out of Tihar jail on furlough and will meet them soon.
Talking to the mediapersons later, Abhay Chautala said that the party is in strong position.
INLD-BSP ties intact
Rejecting reports that his party’s alliance with the BSP is under strain after Jind bypoll, INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala said, “Has anyone said that the INLD-BSP alliance ended? Our alliance stands. We entered into an alliance (last year) to fight the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls together and we will jointly contest these polls.”
Chautala said, “If there are any issues, we will sit together and discuss them.”
“Mayawati has said that the INLD, which has split, should unite which will strengthen the alliance. After the Jind bypoll, I spoke to her,” he said.
When asked what transpired between the two leaders, he said, “All things cannot be made public”.
Sources said that INLD patriarch OP Chautala is also expected to meet BSP chief Mayawati over the recent developments after the Jind bypoll.
A day before, BSP’s Haryana in-charge Meghraj had that the split in INLD has affected the party and this was witnessed in the Jind bypoll. If the Chautala family does not come together, we will have to rethink about our alliance with the INLD, he had said.
INLD to file a complaint with EC
After party’s defeat in Jind bypoll, Abhay Chautala said the Election Commission should order a probe into the alleged misuse of money power and government machinery. He said that the discussion was held during the party’s executive meeting on Jind bypoll result.
Accuses Ajay Chautala of selling party tickets
Lashing out at his elder brother Ajay Chautala, Abhay said, “Some people had hatched conspiracy to weaken our party. Ajay had conspired against his own party in 2014 polls to make his son Dushyant Chautala an MP from Hisar.
He alleged that party tickets were sold by Ajay Chautala and he also shook hands with many of our opponents who belonged to different parties.