Amid a widening rift in the Chautala family, Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala on Saturday refused to accept his expulsion and that of his brother Digvijay Chautala from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Haryana’s main Opposition party.
Dushyant while talking to the mediapersons here for the first time after his expulsion on November 2 claimed that the party’s national executive had not met and no order is being issued by INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala,
Only the INLD’s national executive or a committee headed by the party president could take action against him, Dushyant added.
Hisar MP also claimed that the “working committee” meeting called by his father Ajay Singh Chautala, who is INLD’s state secretary general on November 17 at Jind could suspend or expel any leader.
INLD’s patriarch OP Chautala, Ajay’s father had on November 2 expelled his grandsons Dushyant and Digvijay for indiscipline and spreading disaffection within the party.
Both are the sons of Ajay Chautala, who is pitted against his younger brother Abhay Chautala in the power struggle.
Abhay Chautala is Leader of opposition in Haryana Assembly and party’s MLA from Ellenabad.
On his expulsion from the party, Dushyant claimed he heard about his expulsion only through the media.
“I do not believe that the decision on the suspension and expulsion was taken by Chautala sahib (OP Chautala). Neither the suspension letter bore his signature, nor have I received my expulsion letter till now. As far as I know, there was no such letter signed by the national president,” he added.
Hisar MP further said, “I do not accept that I am not in the INLD. Until I get a letter signed by the national president, I will not accept that I have been expelled.”
“Chautala sahib is the head of the family and the party chief, and if he issues orders in writing I will not challenge them and accept them as his blessings,” he said.
Dushyant was accompanied by several INLD leaders including MLAs Anoop Dhanak and Pirthi Singh at the press conference. He also claimed that under the INLD constitution, the INLD state executive was not empowered to expel him.
He also made a veiled attack on Abhay Chautala, suggesting he is not doing enough as Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly.
Being an MP, I raised important issues on the floor of the House in Parliament. But it is saddening to note that state-related issues like student elections which we raised through the media were not taken up in the Vidhan Sabha, he said.
Without taking names, Dushyant alleged that some people are trying to throw us out of the party,” he said.
Referring to the incident of sloganeering at Gohana rally on October 7, Dushyant said that the slogans raised by party’s youth activists at the rally were wrongly considered hooliganism. It was the enthusiasm and emotions of the youth activists. But some people did not like their emotions, he said.
Dushyant Chautala suggested that he and his brother were “ignored” in the organisation of the Gohana rally.
“There have been consistent efforts to keep us away from organisational activities. People who were working with Ajay Chautala were consistently humiliated at party meetings. It has been happening for over the last four years,” he said.
“The INLD’s committed workers will not tolerate it if some people try to break or capture the party. The party does not belong to one person, but to each soldier of the INLD who had toiled to strengthen it,” Dushyant added.
Asked whether former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had tried to resolve the family feud, Chautala said, “He is the tallest leader and he has guided us in tough and happy times.” “I, Digvijay and my father talked to Badal Sahib on the day after Diwali to seek his blessings,” he said.
Notably, OP Chautala and son Ajay Chautala are serving a 10-year-sentence for a recruitment scam. Ajay Chautala is currently on a two-week parole.