Split in Chautala family: INLD office shifted

The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), the principal opposition party in Haryana, has vacated its state office from MLA flat number 17, Sector 3, which had been its address for the past 13 years, to flat number 47, Sector 4.

This was announced in a party release issued here on Thursday. The new flat is allotted to INLD MLA from Hathin, Kehar Singh.

The shifting of the office was imminent after the recent fissures in the Chautala clan.

The old office ran from the flat which is officially allotted to Dabwali MLA Naina Chautala, mother of Hisar MP Dushyant and Digvijay, former chief of INLD student wing, Indian National Students’ Organisation (INSO), who were both expelled from the party on November 2 for causing “indiscipline” at its Gohana rally.

Digvijay, who took possession of his mother’s flat, said the INLD had voluntarily vacated the flat since it belonged to Naina Chautala. “We would run INSO activities from here for the time being,” he said. Naina is wife of Ajay Chautala, who is serving a tenyear sentence in the JBT recruitment scam case, along with his father and former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala.

Ajay was also expelled from the party on November 14, for indulging in “anti-party activities”. Subsequently, Ajay and his sons had announced to float a new outfit on December 9 at a rally in Jind. Out of power for the past 14 years, the INLD had 47 MLAs in 2000, but its strength had fallen to nine in 2005.

TUG OF WAR OVER PARTY’S ROHTAK OFFICE

ROHTAK: Rival supporters of expelled INLD leaders Ajay Chautala and his younger brother Abhay are involved in a tug of war over the Rohtak party office over which both the sides are claiming the authority.

Ajay’s supporters on Tuesday created ruckus at the party office as they removed INLD flags and Abhay’s photograph. On Wednesday, Abhay’s supporters, including INLD district president Satish Nandal, lodged a police complaint against 16 named and 30 others accused for illegally entering the INLD building and vandalising it. Ajay’s supporters met the police and claimed that the office was not registered in the name of INLD, but belonged to a Gurugram businessman. Rohtak SP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa said the police have launched a probe into the matter.

PARTY’S STUDENT WING LEADER DIGVIJAY CHAUTALA TAKES POSSESSION OF ITS OLD OFFICE, WHICH RAN FROM FLAT ALLOTTED TO HIS MOTHER NAINA CHAUTALA