Family Matters
Political ambitions clash within the Chautala clan, leading to the break-up of the INLD
It’s been in the works since 2013, when Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) supremo Om Prakash Chautala, 83, and his elder son Ajay Singh, 57, were incarcerated for 10 years in a recruitment scam. The reins, tightly held until then by the senior Chautala, really began unravelling when it became evident that both he and Ajay were no longer eligible to contest elections till 2029, six years after they complete their sentence.
So the party’s Gohana rally on October 7 could not have been a pleasant experience for Chautala, out on furlough from jail. “Dushyant Chautala, CM aaya, CM aaya!” the INLD’s youth brigade owing allegiance to Ajay Chautala’s two sons—Hisar MP Dushyant Singh and his younger brother Digvijay Singh—chanted incessantly, repeatedly interrupting their grandfather and uncle Abhay Singh as they vainly tried to speak.
So it was a ‘no-brainer’ for Chautala when he expelled his grandsons and their father from the party on November 14. Convinced by ‘overzealous’ counsel that he still has a shot at becoming CM were the INLD to gain power next year, Chautala was furious with the boys for so blatantly articulating their political ambitions.
Three days later, Ajay Singh announced he would launch a new party. Also on a furlough from
Tihar, he invoked comparisons from the Mahabharata, likening himself to the “righteous Pandavas” and his younger brother Abhay with “Duryodhan”. To be formally launched on December 9, sources say it is likely to be called the ‘Jan Nayak Janata Dal’. The use of ‘ jan nayak’ is intended to establish a connect with the late Devi Lal, the former deputy PM and Om Prakash’s father.
Sources say Ajay and his sons have been cosying up with both Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Union home minister Rajnath Singh of late. “Part of this was to make things easier for their father in Tihar jail,” says an INLD leader.
Delighted at the split in the INLD, which commands some influence amid Haryana’s 26 per cent Jat voters, Kejriwal spoke of stitching an alliance with Ajay’s new party for the 2019 assembly poll. “Dushyant is a young leader with a clean image. I hold him in high esteem. If they want to ally with AAP, we will consider the offer seriously,” he said on November 21. The Delhi CM was curiously unperturbed by the fact that Ajay Singh is still serving a prison term.
Interestingly, Ajay and his boys have also been accused of “doing deals” with the BJP and Congress. Speaking out in Rohtak, Abhay Singh said he had evidence of Dushyant and Digvijay’s meetings with the Congress’s Bhupinder Singh Hooda as well as with the BJP.
Political observers say besides a fight for Devi Lal’s political legacy, the ongoing feud is also to gain control over the substantial wealth controlled by the family. “Apart from hotel properties, the family controls some 67 trusts, including the Devi Lal Vidya Peeth and the Jan Sewa Trust that owns prized real estate in Gurgaon and other cities,” says an INLD man who’s close to the Chautalas. According to him, even INLD offices in the districts are either family-owned or held by retainers.
For the moment, though, with Chautala’s backing, Abhay controls the INLD and a lion’s share of the family assets. And although there has been some attrition, the party rank and file is largely intact for now.
to announce a start date for the construction of a Ram temple.
“The present government at the Centre is strong in terms of numbers. If this government does not build the temple, which government will?” Uddhav thundered. Political observers say the Ram temple was the perfect issue for the Shiv Sena chief to reach out to the BJP in the wake of his most vehement criticism of the Narendra Modi government over the past four years. While many senior Shiv Sena leaders have been urging him to continue the alliance with the BJP, Uddhav himself was in search of common ground.
And in demanding the time-bound construction of the Ram temple, Uddhav’s current stand is at variance with that of his own father. The late Bal Thackeray had publicly advocated that a memorial dedicated to 1857 revolution hero Mangal Pandey be installed at the disputed site in Ayodhya.
Shiv Sena insiders say Uddhav’s changed view on the temple is driven by a growing chorus within his own party. Shiv Sena leaders and workers know that they can never match the BJP’s monetary resources, without which, it will be difficult to contest elections in the state. Also, recent surveys by prominent Marathi news channels showed the Shiv Sena being left at the bottom of the pile were it to contest independently. Senior Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi, too, had recently predicted that the two parties would come together on their common Hindutva platform.
The BJP has welcomed Uddhav’s veiled overture. State finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar described the imminent alliance as “a narrow lane that would turn into a highway after Thackeray’s Ayodhya tour”. And it is bound to benefit the BJP too. Riding the Modi wave in 2014, the party had performed well in Maharashtra, although it lagged in 134 of the 288 assembly constituencies. Teaming up with the Shiv Sena could help bridge the gaps.
The BJP has built its presence in 86,000 of the 93,000 polling booths by assigning 25 workers to each. However, it is not sure of mobilising voters, especially in rural areas. Three internal surveys by the party over the past six months have concluded that an alliance with the Shiv Sena would be the easiest way to return to power next year. “The Shiv Sena should take inspiration from Mahadaji Shinde, a lieutenant of the Peshwa,” said Mungantiwar. “He kept aside his personal grievances against the king and fought for his country against the army of Ahmed Shah Abdali.”
Interestingly, many in the opposition Congress-NCP are also hoping for a reunion of the BJP and Shiv Sena. “We have a better chance if they are together. That will be a one-on-one fight,” says a top NCP leader. Perhaps the BJP’s assembly election performance in four states on December 11 will clear the picture.
The BJP has welcomed Uddhav’s overture as “a narrow lane that could turn into a highway”