INDIA stands 'divided' as Congress, AAP skip INLD's show of strength

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, September 25

The opposition INDIA bloc failed to put up a united show in Kaithal today as key constituents Congress and AAP skipped the INLD’s rally that was organised to mark the 110th birth anniversary of former Deputy PM Devi Lal.

3 separate events by Devi Lal’s family

• Devi Lal’s son and ex-CM OP Chautala along with son Abhay holds INLD rally in Kaithal
• OP Chautala’s second son Ajay along with son Dushyant holds JJP rally at Sikar in Rajasthan
• Another son of Devi Lal and Independent MLA from Sirsa, Ranjit Singh, holds a function at his residence in Sirsa

KC Tyagi, a leader of INDIA ally JD(U), sought the INLD’s inclusion in the opposition grouping and even indirectly targeted the Congress leadership saying “some people were ready to lose all 10 Haryana Lok Sabha seats, but not willing to strike a compromise”. “It’s not possible to win Haryana without taking the INLD along,” he maintained.

Former J&K CM and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah also called for unity and urged the Congress, INLD and the SAD (party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal attended the rally) to “sink their differences and unite for a larger cause”. Trinamool leader Derek O’Brian too advocated the INLD’s inclusion in the opposition alliance.

There had been speculation that Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, NCP’s Sharad Pawar, CPM’s Sitaram Yechury, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav and RLD’s Jayant Chaudhary might attend the event, but most of them sent their representatives. Others who attended the rally included Bhim Army’s Chandrashekhar Azad, former Union Minister Birender Singh and RLD’s S Siddiqui.

On the occasion, INLD supremo and former Haryana CM Om Prakash Chautala announced his younger son Abhay Singh Chautala, who is Ellenabad MLA, as his political heir. Abhay had even invited Mallikarjun Kharge, but the Congress president gave it a miss. Despite top leaders of various parties not turning up, Abhay claimed the rally had sent across the message of the “opposition’s unity”.

The JJP, a partner in the BJP government in Haryana, held a rally in Sikar (Rajasthan) to mark the former Deputy PM’s birth anniversary. Devi Lal had won the Sikar Lok Sabha seat in 1989. JJP leaders Ajay Singh Chautala and his son and Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala claimed their party would play a key role in the formation of the next government in Rajasthan.

Dushyant said the JJP was geared up to contest 25-30 Assembly seats in Rajasthan.

Ranjit Singh, another son of Devi Lal, had organised a function at his residence in Sirsa to pay tributes to his father.