INLD to shift its headquarters of 13 yrs
Portraits of INLD founder late Devi Lal and few ‘welcome boards’ were shifted to MLA flat No 109 that is allotted to Abhay
ABHAY CHAUTALA IS PLANNING TO VACATE FLAT NO. 17 IN SECTOR 3 THAT FUNCTIONS AS PARTY’S HQ. THE FLAT IS OFFICIALLY ALLOTTED TO NAINA CHAUTALA, DUSHYANT’S MOTHER
CHANDIGARH : The ongoing rift within the Indian National Lok Dal’s Chautala clan seems to be only widening with every passing day. Now, Abhay Chautala, the younger son of INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala, is planning to vacate the Sector 3 party headquarters in Chandigarh, which the party has been using for over 13 years.
Reason? The flat is officially allotted to Naina Chautala, MLA, Dabwali, who is the mother of Hisar MP Dushyant and INLD students’ wing Indian National Students’ Organisation (INSO) chief Digvijay, who have been expelled from INLD since over a week.
Though some of the gadgets of the party, such as portraits of INLD founder and former deputy prime minister late Devi Lal and a few ‘welcome boards’ were shifted from the said office, MLA flat No 17, to MLA flat No 109, Sector 3, Chandigarh, early Sunday morning, the final address of its office is yet to be finalised after considering different options.
The MLA flat No 109 is allotted to Abhay Chautala. “Since flat no. 17 has been allotted in the name of Naina Chautala, it has been decided to shift it to some other place,” INLD national secretary general RS Chaudhry said. The INLD had set up its state head quarter in 2005 when it was allotted to one of its MLAs from Mewat.
Naina is the wife of Ajay Chautala, who is serving imprisonment in the JBT recruitment case along with his father and former four-time chief minister Om Prakash Chautala. Naina too is critical of his sons’ expulsion on November 2.
The brother duo was expelled from the primary membership of the party on charges of indiscipline, hooliganism and spreading disaffection within the party during the 105th birth anniversary celebrations of their great-grandfather and former deputy prime minister late Devi Lal on October 7 in Gohana (Sonepat district).
Like her husband, Naina too has been vocal after her sons were suspended from the primary membership of the party, accusing opponents within the party of plotting against her sons. Ajay, who is currently on a twoweek parole, is also likely to make a political move and hit out at Abhay Chautala on November 17 at Jind where he has called an INLD executive committee’s meeting. He has commented on the ongoing tussle within his clan as akin to the epic Mahabharat war and that it was now upto workers to choose the Pandavas or Duryodhan. Though he did not name anyone, the ‘Duryodhan’ remark is being seen as an oblique reference to his younger brother Abhay. Also, it was for the first time that their families did not celebrate Diwali together earlier this week. Dushyant has also launched a tirade against some people who he alleges are trying to hijack party by throwing him and others out. Though he too did not name his uncle Abhay, it was understood to have been referring to Abhay camp.
Out of power for the past 14 years, the INLD had 47 MLAs in 2000, but had fallen to nine in 2005, while in 2010, led by Abhay, the party raised its MLAs number to 31, though in 2014 it could manage only 19 seats. He is currently leader of opposition in the Haryana assembly.