The feud in the Chautala clan—the first family of the Indian National Lok Dal—seems to have reached a point of no return. INLD chief and former Chief Minister OP Chautala on Wednesday expelled his elder son Ajay Chautala from the primary membership of the party for alleged “anti-party activities”.
Ajay Chautala (57) was also removed from the post of INLD secretary general.
INLD Haryana president Ashok Arora on Wednesday released a letter issued by OP Chautala for expulsion of Ajay from the party.
Earlier, Ajay’s sons, Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala and Digvijay Chautala were expelled from the primary membership of INLD on November 2 by their grandfather OP Chautala.
After coming out from the Tihar Jail on a two-week parole, Ajay Chautala had on November 5 backed his sons and vowed to wage a battle to secure their right in the INLD, Haryana’s main opposition party.
As efforts of a patch-up in the Chautala family failed to make any headway, a split in the INLD now looked inevitable after Ajay’s sacking on Wednesday. Two factions, each headed by Ajay and his younger brother Abhay are currently squabbling over the control on the INLD.
Abhay Chautala (55), who is Leader of opposition in Haryana Assembly and party’s MLA from Ellenabad, apparently has backing of his father OP Chautala.
The expulsion of Ajay Chautala, a former MP indicates hardening of stand on both sides.
Following his sacking, Ajay Chautala while talking to the mediapersons in Yamunanagar said that he is not aware on what charge such an action has been taken against him while his sons Dushyant and Digvijay claimed that OP Chautala has been kept in the dark and he must not be knowing about their father’s expulsion.
Ajay Chautala also said that the party workers will decide on November 17 at Jind who will remain in the party.
Ashok Arora, Haryana party president, who was accompanied by Abhay Chautala and other party leaders told the mediapersons here that OP Chautala had issued a letter on November 12 for expulsion of Ajay. Following this, efforts were made to resolve the ongoing feud, he said.
The current scenario is weakening the organization and it has been decided to expel Ajay, announced Ashok Arora while reading out a letter signed by OP Chautala.
At the same time, Arora announced that a party meeting of all current MPs, MLAs, ex- MPs, ex-MLAs, district presidents and zila incharges has been called in Chandigarh on November 17.
The announcement comes after a meeting of party executive committee summoned by Ajay Chautala at Jind on November 17 to decide next course of action. Abhay Chautala’s decision to convene a party meeting on the same day is seen as a move to refrain party leaders and workers to attend his elder brother’s meeting at Jind.
Both factions have made it clear that action will be taken against absentees. Both the camps will be attempting to muster maximum support for their November 17 meeting convened as a show of strength to claim control over the INLD.
Ashok Arora claimed that that the meeting called by Ajay Chautala in Jind is in violation of the party constitution because such a meeting cannot be convened without approval of the party president.
“Any meeting which is convened without prior approval of the party’s national president, shall invite disciplinary action,” he said.
The letter issued by OP Chautala stated, “The party is supreme and no one is above it. The anti-party activities of party secretary general Ajay Singh have caused hurt and have become unbearable.”
“Ajay Singh has convened a meeting on November 17, which is unconstitutional, and makes it clear that he is trying to run a parallel set up to weaken the party,” the letter stated while announcing Ajay’s expulsion from the INLD.
Arora added that the party president had gone through lot of pain in view of the recent developments and had to take decision to expel his elder son with a “heavy heart”.
Abhay Chautala, while talking to the mediapersons said, “We will take action against indiscipline by party leaders.”
When asked if action would be taken against MLAs supporting his elder brother Ajay Chautala, Abhay said that such MLAs should give in writing that they are not with INLD. Their letters will be submitted to the Speaker and their membership will be cancelled, he said.
Ajay’s wife and INLD MLA Naina Chautala, who has been vocal against her detractors within the party has been spared from any disciplinary action as of now.
MLAs Anoop Dhanak, Rajdeep Phogat and Pirthi Singh besides several party leaders have lent support to Ajay Chautala.
The two factions headed by Ajay and Abhay have been apparently charting their respective future course of action to lay claims on the legacy of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal, who founded the party in October 1996.
Both Dushyant and Digvijay are great-grandson of Devi Lal.
The “war of succession” in the Chautala clan has now put in doubt the INLD’s prospects in the forthcoming general elections and assembly polls scheduled later in 2019. The INLD had been out of power for the past 14 years.
Notably, former Chief Minister OP Chautala along with his elder son Ajay are currently serving 10-year jail sentence after being convicted, in teacher recruitment scam in Haryana.
In their absence, Abhay Chautala had been steering the party.
The crisis within the party had deepened after the Gohana rally on October 7 after a group of youths had allegedly indulged in hooting at the time Abhay Chautala was speaking, while there were cheers for Dushyant Chautala as he spoke.
Following this, Dushyant and Digvijay were expelled from the INLD on November 2 after being accused of “indiscipline, hooliganism and spreading disaffection”.
Dushyant Chautala had however refused to accept his expulsion and that of his brother Digvijay Chautala from the INLD, claiming that the party’s national executive had not met and no sack order was issued by president OP Chautala.