Ajay Chautala’s Jannayak Janata Party outlines its road-map

Ravi S. Singh
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 18

Jannayak Janata Party leader Digvijay Chautala said on Tuesday that his party would be ready “to hit the streets” by the end of January.

Chautala, who announced his party’s objectives and strategy for the next few months at a press conference on Tuesday, said his party—a recent breakaway from the Indian National Lok Dal—would support a “non-BJP, non-Congress” third front with regional parties as its fulcrum.

Election Commission of India will now have to allot the party a symbol. Meanwhile, the party now faces its first challenge—to build a party base with months to go for Lok Sabha and state assembly elections. As a start, the party will soon begin a recruitment drive with the youth as its prime target. JJP aims at recruiting 1.5 lakh youngsters between ages 18 and 35 in its first phase.

“The salient point will be launch of ‘one booth, 10 youth campaign’ from December 21 with target to cover 16,000 booths,” Chautala said.

He also accused the Leader of Opposition, INLD’s Abhay Singh Chautala—his uncle—of “instigating” leaders of his former party to make “unprovoked” statements about the rebel leaders—his father Abhay Chautala, his brother Dushyant Chautala and himself.  

The announcement—the first public statement from the party since it was launched not two weeks ago—assumes particular significance given that general elections are less than six months away. Haryana is also due for assembly elections next year—months after the mammoth Lok Sabha elections.

Family feud tore the Indian National Lok Dal apart recently, with Digvijay Chautala’s father Ajay Chautala—the oldest son of INLD patriarch Om Prakash Chautala—announcing his own party with his two sons—Dushyant and Digvijay Chautala.

The rebel Chautalas were all expelled last month from the party for indiscipline.