INLD rally in Haryana: INDIA bloc’s key party Congress stays away

Tribune News Service

Parveen Arora

Kaithal, September 25

Amid the speculations that INLD is going to join the opposition INDIA alliance group, key parties of the bloc, including Congress and AAP, stayed away from the “Samaan Diwas” rally organised in Kaithal on Monday to mark the 110thbirth anniversary of former deputy prime minister Chaudhary Devi Lal.

Instead of regional heavyweights, including Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee, their party’s senior leaders KC Tyagi and Darek O Brien respectively came and addressed the rally.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray who were also expected to attend the rally, did not come. However, the reasons behind their absence is not clear.

National Conference leader and former CM of Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah, SAD’s Sukhbir Balal, RLD's Shahid Siddiqui, and other leaders attended the rally. Senior BJP leader Birender Singh also addressed the rally and said that he had come to pay tribute to Chaudhary Devi Lal by rising above the party lines. He exhorted political parties to leave their differences to celebrate the birth anniversary of people like Tau Devi Lal. Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Ravan also paid tribute to Devi Lal. He promised to raise the voices of farmers and economically weaker sections.

Leaders including Farooq, Tyagi, Badal, Brien, Siddiqui, and others gave a call for unity of opposition parties to uproot the BJP from power. Badal exhorted for a united front of regional parties.

Meanwhile, former CM and INLD supremo OP Chautala picked the party’s lone MLA in the Haryana Assembly and his son, Abhay Singh Chautala, as his political heir for the CM’s post and exhorted party workers to strengthen the hands of Abhay in upcoming elections. “I hand over Abhay to you, strengthen his hands, and make him successful. My blessings are always with him. If he fails to fulfill your aspirations, I will be there to pull his ears,” said Chautala.

Chauatala also promised an old age pension of Rs 7500 per month if voted to power. “We will also provide one cylinder and Rs 1100 to each household every month if voted to power,” said Chautala.

Besides, he promised free education and health facilities for students. Chautala also assured jobs to all unemployed youths and Rs 21000 per month as an unemployment allowance.

“We will repair all the buildings of the schools and will also fill all the vacant posts in schools and hospitals. Also, we will ensure a sufficient supply of medicines,” said Chautala.

Abhay appealed to leaders, who have left the party, to return to the party fold and promised that they would be given the same respect as they were getting earlier. He said that INLD had played a vital role in bringing change in the past and now it will again bring change in the political scenario. He also announced to continue his yatra from October 15. “I will continue my yatra to uproot the BJP-JJP from power. I will start my yatra from October 15 and will visit all villages which I could not visit during the first phase of the yatra," he said. A large number of people across the state attended the rally.

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