Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), locked in an ugly dynasty battle over the legacy of former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal, have geared up to celebrate his birth anniversary on September 25 in a big way.
While the INLD headed by former Chief Minister OP Chautala has invited prominent politicians for the “samman divas” rally in Jind to bring together different political parties on one platform for the formation of third front at the central level, the JJP will install the biggest statue of Devi Lal on the Delhi-Mumbai highway at village Hilalpur in Nuh district on September 25.
To make the “samman divas” an attractive event, the INLD has invited former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal, former UP CM Mulayam Singh Yadav, former Jammu & Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah, JDU leader KC Tyagi, late Ajit Singh’s son and RLD leader, Jayant Chaudhary among other leaders to celebrate the birth anniversary of INLD’s founder Devi Lal.
OP Chautala, who was serving a ten-year term in connection with a teachers’ recruitment scam, was formally released from Delhi’s Tihar Jail on July 2.
As part of his efforts, the INLD patriarch had met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, former Prime minister HD Deve Gowda, former UP CM Mulayam Singh Yadav and former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal to extend an invitation for the “samman divas”.
In September, the octogenarian also held public meetings in various districts of the state to ensure the success of the samman rally.
The rally assumes significance for the INLD as the party is looking to make a comeback in state politics. The party is presently unrepresented in the Haryana Assembly after the lone sitting member and Chautala’s younger son, Abhay Chautala had resigned in the wake of farmers’ protests earlier this year. Barring Abhay, who had retained Ellenabad seat in Sirsa district, over 80 candidates of the INLD had to bite the dust in 2019 Haryana Assembly polls. The INLD is also pinning his hopes on the ongoing farmers’ agitation to win over party sympathisers and garner support of the
public.
Abhay Chautala on Friday said that on the 108th birth anniversary of former Deputy Prime Minister of the country, Chaudhary Devi Lal, the people of the state would lay the foundation stone for the next INLD government in Haryana at the rally in Jind on September 25 and the third front in the country will be formed from the same platform. The INLD leader said that more than 2000 vehicles from each of the districts will reach the rally venue, while from Sirsa more than 300 buses and thousands of other vehicles will reach Jind. “There is huge enthusiasm among the people, especially youth and women, for the rally, which will set new dimensions in politics of the state,” he added.
On the other hand, the JJP has announced plans to install a 42 feet statue of Devi Lal on September 25 and organize programs at district, light and block level, where party officials and workers will remember Tau Devi Lal and will also do social work.
Notably, the INLD had split in November 2018 following a power struggle between two brothers Abhay Chautala and Ajay Chautala, grandsons of Chaudhary Devi Lal.
When the INLD chief and five-time former CM OP Chautala chose younger son Abhay to be his heir, Ajay and his two sons were expelled from the INLD.