The Chautala clan is likely to go to the polls with their separate political parties as unity efforts by the Khap Panchayats has failed.
The Khaps, trying for unity, on Saturday announced to call off their efforts to reunite the Chautala clan, after being perturbed over Jannayak Janata Party leader Dushyant Chautala's “trap” remarks.
Khap or caste council leader Ramesh Dalal also gave an ultimatum of two days to Dushyant for seeking an apology for his reported remarks. “We have decided to end our efforts to reunite the Chautala family from today,” Dalal said on Saturday.
The decision to end their efforts of reuniting family was taken by 20 Khap Panchayats, he said. Khap Panchayats had been making efforts to reunite Chautala family for the past several days. They had held meetings with former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal and Abhay Chautala.
While Abhay had said that he would abide by whatever decision was taken by Khap Panchayats, JJP leader Dushyant Chautala had left it to his father Ajay Chautala after a meeting between Badal and O P Chautala on reuniting as family.
Dalal said that Khap Panchayats were upset with JJP leader Dushyant's remarks over the efforts of caste councils towards reuniting the Chautala family.
“Dushyant made accusations of trapping him. He does not trust Panchayats, he insulted Khap Panchayats and he thinks that he is above Khap Panchayats,” alleged Dalal adding that Dushyant's accusations are “baseless”.
Dalal of Haryana Swabhiman Andolan said that he had sought apology from Dushyant for his remarks within two days. In a letter to Dushyant, Dalal said that Khap Panchyats wanted to make him leader by reuniting Chautala clan but he made false allegations against him.
Notably, on Thursday in Sirsa, Dushyant had said, “Do they (Khap) want to trap me and make me the target. I am shocked to hear Ramesh Dalal's statement which he gave in village Chautala (in Sirsa) saying I am siding with the BJP. If there is any one party in Haryana which has fought BJP in the state it is the JJP. We have been raising people's issue.”
The party has decided to contest on all 90 assembly seats in Haryana. On Thursday, Dushyant had also said that Khap Panchayats should work towards bringing together entire clan of late Chaudhary Devi Lal before working for unity in Chautala clan.
Meanwhile, INLD leader Abhay Chautala said that he would go by whatever decision was taken by Khap Panchayats. “Besides, I will also abide by what Ajay Chautala decides. If Ajay Chautala says I should leave politics, I would have also agreed to it,” said Abhay.
Even Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal had recently appealed for unity in the Chautala clan. Notably, the family feud in the Chautala family has continued to play out in public despite the INLD's split.
The Indian National Lok Dal, a party founded by former deputy prime minister Devi Lal, had split in 2018 after a family feud. Former Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala, grandson of Om Prakash Chautala and son of Ajay Chautala, had launched the Jannayak Janata Party last year.