Trouble grows in INLD, Chautala expels son Ajay

FEUD GROWS Ajay charged with ‘trying to run a parallel organisation’

CHANDIGARH: Om Prakash Chautala, a four-time chief minister and the national president of Haryana’s main Opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), on Wednesday expelled his elder son Ajay from the party barely two weeks after he sacked Ajay’s sons Dushyant and Digvijay for indiscipline.

Accompanied by 13 of the INLD’S 19 MLAS, including state party president Ashok Arora, Chautala’s younger son Abhay read out the former chief minister’s decision to sack Ajay as state INLD secretary general and expel him from the party.

Om Prakash Chautala is in jail after his conviction in a teachers’ recruitment scam.

CHANDIGARH: Om Prakash Chautala, a four-time chief minister and the national president of Haryana’s main opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), on Wednesday expelled his elder son Ajay from the party barely two weeks after he sacked his (Ajay’s) sons Dushyant and Digvijay for indiscipline.

Accompanied by 13 of the INLD’S 19 MLAS, including state party president Ashok Arora, Chautala’s younger son Abhay, who is leader of the opposition in Haryana, read out the former chief minister’s decision to sack Ajay as state INLD secretary general and expel him from the party’s primary membership. Om Prakash Chautala is in jail after his conviction in a teachers’ recruitment scam.

“Ajay has been charged with anti-party activities for trying to run a parallel organisation and calling an unauthorised meeting in Jind on November 17,” Arora said. He convened a meeting of all party MLAS, MPS and office-bearers in Chandigarh to counter the meeting summoned by Ajay Chautala.

Chautala had expelled Ajay’s sons, Hisar MP Dushyant, and then Indian National Lok Dal student wing leader Digvijay, for hooliganism at a party rally on October 7.

Addressing journalists, Abhay denied being in the race for the post of chief minister. Replying to Ajay’s remark that he was his junior, Abhay said, “I was involved in party work much before Ajay, who confined himself to politics in Rajasthan.”

On the scope for reconciliation, he said he had met Ajay but there was no sign of a patch-up.

He said he had been forced to come to the forefront of the family on the insistence of party workers and leaders after his father and elder brother Ajay’s imprisonment on January 16, 2013, in the teachers’ recruitment scam. Ajay Chautala is out on a twoweek parole on November 4.

Abhay said the party would act sternly against those who offer in writing that they backed Ajay.

Reacting to his expulsion, Ajay said, “Those who have expelled me should explain on what ground they took the deci- sion and what are the charges against me.”

Ajay said the public meeting in Jind will be held as scheduled on November 17.