Ajay Chautala to launch new political party at Dec rally

Vishal Joshi
Tribune News Service
Jind, November 17

The Chautala family feud today resulted in a split in the Indian National Lok Dal, with expelled leaders Ajay Singh Chautala and his son, Hisar MP Dushyant, announcing to float a new political party on December 9.

Elated at the impressive gathering at a workers’ meet here, Ajay Singh said they had “collectively resigned from INLD” and it had been decided not to “exhaust energy by engaging in legal hassles by staking claim to INLD”. He added that a public meeting would be held here again on December 9 to announce the nomenclature of the new party, “which will follow the ideology of the late Ch Devi Lal”.

Ajay Singh hinted at a major role for his MP son Dushyant in the unnamed party. He said the INLD may have a few elected representatives, but the workers had voluntarily backed him.

His sole target remained younger brother and Leader of Opposition Abhay Singh Chautala. Terming his sibling Duryodhana, the chief antagonist of Mahabharata, Ajay Singh said the epical character was also responsible for bloodshed in the family.

He said his supporters were always humiliated by the INLD leader at all platforms. He also charged Abhay with forging his expulsion letter.

“I had been trying to make my associates overlook the ill-treatment. But the biased leader started maligning committed party workers by saying they were sold-out activists. He even started tagging my sons as individuals paid to by political opponents. I have always worked for the INLD in various states whereas Abhay has been seeking votes for his brother-in-law in Rajasthan who is a BJP leader,” he said.

Dushyant said he would continue to draw inspiration from Om Prakash Chautala. 

Former Speaker Satbir Kadyan were also present. 

Meanwhile, Ajay Singh clarified that since the party’s youth wing, Indian National Students Organisation (INSO), was registered in his name, the INLD had no right to dissolve it.