Let party workers decide the leader: Ajay Chautala
Addressing party workers in Karnal, exmp cites INLD spokesperson KC Bangar’s remarks that workers will have to choose between Dushyant and Abhay Chautala
KARNAL: Amid the raging feud over the control of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) between two camps of the Chutala family, party’s senior leader Ajay Chautala on Tuesday said let the party workers to decide their leader.
Ajay, whose two sons — Hisar MP Dhushyant Chautala and former Indian National Students’ Organisation chief Digvijay Singh — were expelled by his father and party supremo Om Prakash Chautala on November 2 at the behest of his younger brother Abhay Chautala, is struggling to reclaim his hold over the party.
Ajay, who addressed a meeting of party workers in Karnal ahead of the Jind meeting of the state executive convened by him on November 17, cited the remarks of party spokesperson KC Bangar who spoke before him. “Bangar ji has made it clear that it is up to the workers to choose between the two buses being driven by Abhay and Dushyant.”
REPEATS ‘DURYODHNA REMARK’ AGAINST ABHAY CHAUTALA
In a veiled attack on Abhay Chautala, the former MP, who is serving 10-years imprisonment along with his father OP Chautala in the JBT teachers recruitment scam in the Tihar jail and is currently out on a two-week parole, said, “The developments in the party remind me of the epic drama of Mahabharata, in which Duryodhna, (an evil character), refused to give due share to his cousins.”
Asked to clarify whom he was referring to as Duryodhna, he said, “This is crystal clear as to whom my comments are directed at.” Ajay did not answer the media queries regarding the outcome of his recent meeting with Abhay. “The meeting was held just to end the misunderstanding,” was his laconic reply.
Addressing party workers earlier, he invited them to attend his Jind rally on November 17 and said, “We need your love, support and enthusiasm in future.”
He said, “The next decision will be taken in Jind where we will tell people that the INLD is not patrimony of anybody but it belongs to every party worker.”
He added, “We have invited all INLD leaders, including former and sitting MPS, MLAS, party officer-bearers at the rally to decide our future strategy.”
In an attempt to pacify workers of his group in the party, he said some workers were insulted in meetings and rallies but they forgot the insult and continued their support to the party.
He assured his full support to party workers and said, “Respect for workers is our top priority and it will remain so always.”
On his possible meeting with former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, Ajay said the former Punjab CM was the seniormost member of their family and he would meet him whenever he would call.
BANGAR PROJECTS DUSHYANT AGAINST ABHAY FOR CM’S FACE
Meanwhile, INLD’S national spokesperson KC Banger projected Dushyant as the party’s next chief ministerial candidate vis-àvis Abhay.
To counter Abhay’s assertion that the party will once again make party supremo OP Chautala the CM of Haryana, he pointed out that neither Chautala, nor Ajay could become the CM, if the party is voted to power in the assembly elections due next year, as they cannot contest polls till 2029 due to their conviction in JBT recruitment scam.
“The party has to make choice between Dushyant and Abhay. It’s up to you now to choose between two buses driven by Abhay and Dushyant,” he said.
Likening Dushyant with late party patriarch and former deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal, he asked party worker to raise the slogan ‘Aaya aaya dusra Devi Lal aaya’ instead of ‘Aaya aaya CM aaya’.
DIVIDED CADRE
The parallel meetings being held by Ajay and Abhay have divided party workers, including several office-bearers.
INLD’S Karnal district president Yashvir Rana who had attended Abhay’s meeting at the same venue on November 3, gave a miss to Ajay’s rally.
EX-MLA REJOINS INLD
Meanwhile, former MLA Nafe Singh Valmiki, who had joined the Congress in May this year, returned to the INLD on Tuesday. Ajay welcomed him in the party fold.