As the bitter family feud in the Chautala family continues to play out in public after the split in Indian National Lok Dal, Hisar MP and Jannayak Janta Party leader Dushyant Chautala on Monday made it clear that there is no possibility of reconciliation and JJP will move forward with its ideology.
Dushyant, however maintained that the blood relations will remain intact and can never be broken.
“We did not leave the Indian National Lok Dal but were expelled from the party. We now have different paths as political parties,” said JJP leader Dushyant, during “meet-the-press” programme at Chandigarh Press Club here.
Dushyant also hinted at going it alone in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls with talks of seat-sharing with Aam Aadmi Party remaining inconclusive so far.
Terming the split in INLD and creation of JJP as biggest turning point and a new beginning in his life, Dushyant said, “His father Ajay Chautala alongwith other supporters decided to form a separate political outfit JJP, which was floated in December. We took a risk and even contested Jind bypoll and got a huge support.”
INLD’s chief OP Chautala’s elder son- Ajay Singh Chautala -is patron of the JJP while his two sons – Hisar MP Dushyant and INSO chief Digvijay -- are spearheading the party in the absence of Ajay, who is serving a 10-year jail term in connection with the teachers recruitment scam in Haryana.
Commenting on the status of Leader of opposition being enjoyed by senior INLD leader Abhay Chautala despite four party MLAs joining the JJP, Dushyant said that people have greed of having a gunman, house, red beacon on car among other facilities that is why they are still LoP.
I was expelled from the party. But four MLAs who have joined the JJP have not been expelled because of the issue related to LoP status, he said attacking his uncle Abhay Chautala.
On a query why JJP MLAs have themselves not resigned from the INLD, Dushyant said that they were elected by the people of their constituency and they will not resign. 4 INLD MLAs are with JJP and SAD’s lone MLA Balkaur Singh has also extended his support to JJP. In the recently concluded budget session of Haryana Assembly, the JJP leaders did not support the LoP, he added.
In the 90-member State Assembly, while the ruling BJP has 48 MLAs after the Jind bypoll win, both Congress and INLD have 17 members each, one each member belongs to the SAD and BSP, five are independents while one seat fell vacant after demise of INLD's Jaswinder Singh Sandhu.
Reacting to his grandfather OP Chautala’s accusations that he did not meet him even once after the split in INLD, Dushyant said that he has met the INLD chief thrice after the split.
Taking a dig at INLD chief OP Chautala, Dushyant said that earlier, we were called BJP and Congress agents but people making such accusations against us are now ready to form an alliance with the ruling BJP.
Our candidate in Jind bypolls managed to get second spot, he said while adding that Congress’ heavyweight candidate (Randeep Surjewala) somehow managed to save his security deposit while the other party (INLD) faced a humiliating defeat and could not even save its security deposit.
On JJP’s future in a multi-cornered contest in Haryana, Dushyant said that the around 93 lakh voters in Haryana are below the age of 45 years and this generation is above caste and creed. The JJP has an advantage as youth voters are with us. We are hopeful that even if we go alone in election without any alliance, we will emerge as a winner and a strong political party in the state, he added.
We are also working for extension of JJP in Delhi and Rajasthan. If things go well, the party might field its candidate on one seat in Delhi, he said.